Choices
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: My third CATS fanfic. This is the story of Mungojerrie's life. He starts out as one of Macavity's henchcats. One day, a certain kitten stumbles into their hideout. Then he must make a critical decision.
1. Partners

Choices

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: CATS belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group. I'm not a member of the RUG and I'm certainly not Andrew Lloyd Webber, so I don't own CATS.

Plot: This is the story of Mungojerrie's life and how he came to join the Jellicle Tribe. I apologize if this first chapter may seem a little complex. Believe me, the following chapters will be much more coherent.

He was born in a dark alley. He was an only kitten. When he was six months old, his parents were killed by a group of Pollicle dogs. He barely made it out alive himself.

He was alone... in the largest city in England.

Yet, somehow, he managed to survive on his own.

His name was Mungojerrie.

Mungojerrie was a tiger-striped cat. He was rather tall for his age, and he spoke with a thick cockney accent.

He survived on the streets on London for weeks on his own.

Then one day, his talents were recognized by another.

Mungojerrie had just stolen a ham sandwich from a passing tourist. The tourist had not noticed this until she was over a block away from him.

Mungojerrie was about to run off and enjoy his prize when he was stopped by a ginger cat.

The cat was very tall and thin, his mane was messed up, his coat dusty, his red face contorted, his eyes outlined in black. One of his eyes was blue; the other was green.

Mungojerrie immediately knew who this cat was.

It was Macavity the Mystery Cat.

Macavity put all other lawbreaking cats in London to shame with his crimes.

Mungojerrie studied the red and gold cat up and down. He gave no indication that he was there to cause trouble for him, so he decided to say something friendly.

"'ow do ya do, sih?" he asked.

"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Mungojerrie," the ginger cat grinned.

Mungojerrie's eyes lit up. He eyed the visitor suspiciously and asked him "'ow... 'ow do ya know ma name?"

"I've been watching you for some time now, my friend." Macavity explained. "But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Macavity," said Mungojerrie, still keeping his guard up. "What c'an Ah do f'or ya?"

"I would just like to talk with you, if you have the time," said Macavity.

"Sh'or, of cou'se." Mungojerrie agreed. "'ere, 'ave somethin' to eat." He took the ham sandwich and broke it in half. He gave half to Macavity and kept the other half for himself. "Thank you." said Macavity. It was not often that Macavity demonstrated such courtesy, but he wanted Mungojerrie to feel comfortable around him.

After they ate, Mungojerrie asked him "So, w'at would ya like ta ta'k about?"

"I have a proposition for you, my friend," Macavity began, "As you know, I work alone. I happen to know that you work alone, too. Both of us are highly efficient at criminal activity-"

"But you a'h definatley ta superio' one," Mungojerrie interrupted.

"Yes, thank you," said Macavity, looking a little annoyed. But he continued "I have a proposition for you, Mungojerrie."

"W'at might t'at be?" inquired Mungojerrie.

Macavity looked him right in the eyes and told him "Work for me. Together, we can be twice as efficient, twice as successful, and, most of all, twice as infamous."

Mungojerrie looked surprised, and yet thrilled, to hear this offer. He asked him "A'h you sar'ious, Mac? Can Ah call ya 'Mac?'"

"Of course I'm serious," Macavity answered. "And yes, you can call me 'Mac.' Can I call you 'Mungo?'"

"Sh'or," said Mungojerrie, "You cahn also call meh 'Jerrie," if ya like."

Macavity nodded. Then he asked him "What's your answer?"

Mungojerrie did not even hesitate. He held out his paw and said "Mac, ya got ya-self a partneh."

Macavity grinned and shook Mungojerrie's paw with his own. Mungojerrie gathered up all of his possessions in his old home (a large refrigerator box) and took them to Macavity's hideout (A large abandoned warehouse).

That day, he became Macavity's first henchcat.


	2. The Grunts And The Kitten

A week later, Macavity and Mungojerrie had stolen more together than both the amounts they normally stole on their own. One could say they were disproving the saying "Nothing is greater than the sum of its parts."

After the first week, they started hiring other tough cats of the streets. They were joined by three more cats on their first day of a searching, and by the end of the week, their group numbered at twenty total.

Pretty soon, they had created the most feared syndicate of cats in London.

There were even some queens in the group. However, the overall tom to queen ratio was about 4:1.

Mungojerrie served as the group's second-in-command. His primary job was to make sure that the rest of the henchcats were loyal, submissive, and obedient to their boss.

Most of the henchcats were very dim-witted, but they made up for their intellectual deficiency with their strength and agility.

There were four cats in particular that Mungojerrie enjoyed working with.

The first was a large brown tom with shades of white on his coat. This cat had a stern look, a very unwelcoming facial expression, and he was missing one eye. His name was Evojon, but his colleagues called him "Cyclops." He had lost his eye when his owner had gotten drunk and attacked him with a fork. In response, Evojon killed his owner and turned stray. Then he took up stealing until Macavity found him. Despite being half-blind, he had superb depth perception and very advanced hearing.

The second was a grey and black tom. He had incredibly sharp teeth. His name was Wilosc, but his friends called his "Flash." He had a talent for moving remarkably fast through any room and grabbing things without anyone being aware of his presence.

The third was a red and orange queen. She had an icy stare and claws that could pierce through cardboard. Her name was Rinoxma, but everybody called her "Sharpie." She was the only queen of the four, but everyone paid her an equal amount of respect. She had once been caught by animal control, but she had easily cut through the nets with her claws and run off before anybody realized that she had escaped.

The fourth and final one was a quiet tan Siamese tom. At first glance, he appeared to be a very gentle tom. But truthfully, he was the most vicious of the lot. Should anyone ever cross him, he would take his tail and try to strangle them. No one really knew his name, so he was just known as "Silent Danger."

The four of them were the toughest of Macavity's group, behind only Mungojerrie and Macavity himself.

If any other member of the group were to show a sign of disloyalty or rebellion, Mungojerrie would send the four of them to give him or her a lesson in "discipline."

No one ever needed more than one lesson of discipline after receiving one from Cyclops, Flash, Sharpie, and Silent Danger. After the first one, they were too scared for their lives to risk another "lesson."

Once Macavity's group came to forty total, he had them all gather before him. He then told them about a tribe of cats that were once his family. They called themselves the "Jellicle cats."

Macavity told his henchcats about the Jellicles. He described them as a great tribe of fairness and equality. However, he also claimed that he had been thrown out of the tribe for a crime that he had never committed. So he had turned to crime when he nowhere else to go. All of his henchcats were stupid enough to believe him. All except Mungojerrie, that is. Mungojerrie was not stupid, but he did trust Macavity.

Macavity then told them about one cat in particular he was fond of. She was a black and gold queen who was slightly older than him. Her name was Demeter.

It did not take long for Mungojerrie to realize that Macavity was infatuated with Demeter. Yet somehow, every time he came near the tribe, she could sense him.

Macavity alone knew the reason for this: He once tried to rape Demeter, and somehow, through this attempt, she acquired the ability to sense his presence whenever he was near. However, he did not tell anyone else about this.

He was so infatuated with her that he planned to kidnap her at the next Jellicle Ball.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Macavity and his henchcats wreaked havoc on many unsuspecting pedestrians in London. On a few occasions, they had taken the opportunity to terrorize the Jellicle Tribe.

Then one day, Mungojerrie was faced with one of the most important decisions of his life.

One late night, Mungojerrie, Macavity, Cyclops, and Silent Dagger were playing cards. Macavity was known to cheat at the game, so the others kept their eyes (Cyclops kept his one eye) on him.

During their game, there was a knock on the door to the room.

"Enter!" called Macavity.

Flash and Sharpie entered the room. They were carrying something inside. Sharpie grinned and said "We have a little visitor, boss."

As they got closer, the others could see that they were carrying an adolescent kitten. Flash and Sharpie inconsiderately tossed her towards the other four. The kitten landed near Macavity's feet and lay still for a moment. Then she slowly looked up at the ginger cat. He was grinning maliciously at her.

The kitten was very frightened at the sight of Macavity. She moved away from him, staring in utter terror.

The kitten looked very similar to Mungojerrie. Her coat was composed of orange and black tiger-stripes.

She broke the silence that had remained in that room and spoke softly "You'e... you'e Macavity!"

The kitten spoke with a thick cockney accent, like Mungojerrie.

After she said this, Flash struck her on the side and said, almost yelling, "Quiet, you!"

Sharpie looked at Macavity and told him "We found her sneaking around outside the warehouse. What should we do with her?"

Mungojerrie and Macavity gazed at the teenage kitten.

"I know this kitten," said Macavity.

"You do?" said Cyclops."

"Yes, she's a member of the Jellicle Tribe." Macavity explained. "Her name is Rumpleteazer."

Mungojerrie could see that the kitten was terrified, but all he did was scoff at her terror.

"Lock her up," Macavity ordered two henchcats standing at the walls. The two of them went over to Rumpleteazer and dragged her out of the room.

Macavity, Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Sharpie, Flash, and Silent Danger were alone once again.

"What should we do with her?" Sharpie repeated.

"Let's beat her," suggested Flash.

"No, she has trespassed and she is a member of the Jellicle Tribe," said Macavity. "That is reason enough for her to die."

Cyclops chuckled. "Now you're talking. I say we let Silent do it. It's been awhile since we've seen him do any tricks with his tail."

Macavity shook his head and said "She may be an adolescent, but she is still a kitten. We should give her a more merciful death."

"What do you have in mind?" inquired Sharpie.

"At eleven o'clock tonight, we will take her to the top of the second floor." Macavity told his minions. "We'll position ourselves on top of the main observance platform. There, one of you will claw her to death. The rest of our group will be on the ground floor so that they may observe this event for themselves."

"Excellent," Flash smirked, "But who will claw her to death."

Macavity grinned, gazed at his second-in-command, and said "Mungojerrie shall have the honor."

Mungojerrie's grin quickly turned to a worried frown. No one knew this about him, but while Mungojerrie did enjoy stealing, cheating, and extorting, he did not like killing, especially when a kitten was the intended victim.


	3. Change of Heart

Later that night, everyone had assembled in the main area of the warehouse. Almost all of the henchcats were on the ground floor. The rest were on top of the view section of the second floor. The ones on the second floor were two henchcats, Cyclops, Sharpie, Mungojerrie, and Macavity.

Cyclops and Sharpie were talking with each other on top. The two henchcats were standing guard by the wall. Mungojerrie was just leaning against the iron supports that were holding up the roof. He was deep in thought about the situation.

Macavity then came over to him and asked "Are you ready for this, Mungo?"

Mungojerrie was almost as tall as Macavity when they both stood on their hind feet. He just looked him in the eye and said nothing.

"Are you ready?" Macavity repeated.

Mungojerrie looked to his side at nothing in particular and said "Truthfully... I don't know."

Macavity frowned and asked "Why not?"

"Mac, can I admit somethan to ya?" Mungo looked back at his boss.

"Of course," said Macavity.

"I'm not suhre I can go thro' with th'is." Mungo came forth.

"Why?" said Macavity.

Mungojerrie thought about how to present his thoughts to his boss, and then he told him "As you know, I am more t'an willing to steal anything from ahnyone. Ah'd be glad to cheat a person, and I would be 'appy to lie to save my butt. But I don't think I could kill a kitten."

Macavity scoffed and reminded his second-in-command "Mungo, she's a Jellicle."

"And t'at's reason enough for 'er to die?" said Mungojerrie.

"Not quite," said Macavity, "But she also trespassed into our hideout. We can't let her go back to inform the other Jellicles of our whereabouts."

"I know, but do we 'ave to kill 'er?" said Mungojerrie.

Macavity nodded without a twinge of remorse. He said "We cannot risk the possibility that she will escape. The only way to ensure that they never find us is to silence her. Permanently." The way he added that last word almost made Mungojerrie quiver.

Mungojerrie made one last attempt: "Does it 'ave to be MEH?"

"Yes," Macavity nodded. "I need you to prove your obedience to me."

"You 'ave reason to doubt mah loyalties?" Mungojerrie asked sternly.

"No, I do not," said Macavity, "But by doing this, I will completely trust you and put my faith in you."

Mungojerrie sighed and went back to the wall. He stood alone for a few minutes until Cyclops and Sharpie came over to him. Cyclops asked him "By the way, Mungo, is Rumplestilskin-"

"Rumpleteazer." Sharpie corrected him, slapping him on the back of the head.

"Right," said Cyclops, "Anyway, is she your sister?"

Mungojerrie glared at him as if he was a lunatic. "No. What would make ya think t'at?"

"Her coat has the same black and orange calico pattern as yours." Sharpie pointed out.

"So?" said Mungojerrie. "Tere's loads of cats in t'is city with coats identical to mihne."

"She also speaks with the same thick cockney accent." said Cyclops.

"T'at must be pure coincidence." Mungojerrie concluded. "Believe me; we're not related."

A few moments later, Macavity gestured for silence. When the entire warehouse was deadly quiet, Macavity looked down to all the henchcats on the ground and made an announcement: "Good evening, my minions. Some of you are probably wondering why we have assembled here tonight. The answer is simple: You are here to witness a subliminal victory against our enemies, the Jellicles."

There was some muttering amongst the henchcats. They were unsure as to what their boss was implying.

"Bring her out." Macavity ordered the two henchcats who were standing guard at the wall.

They nodded and went to a door on that level. A moment later, they returned with Flash and Silent Danger. The two of them were half-dragging, half-carrying Rumpleteazer out. Her front paws were bound together in front of her.

Flash and Silent Danger threw their prisoner towards their boss. She landed on her stomach painfully. Before she could recover, Macavity siezed her by her neck, picked her up, and made her stand next to him.

"I'd like you all to meet Rumpleteazer," Macavity told his minions, "She is the eldest daughter of the two Jellicles Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots. We found her sneaking around outside the warehouse. We should congratulate her on her discovery. Unfortunately-" Mungojerrie could tell that Macavity did not mean "unfortunately" at all- "we cannot risk her informing the rest of the Jellicle tribe of the location of our hideout. So here and now, she will die where she stands!"

He then dropped Rumpleteazer onto the ground. Macavity turned to Mungojerrie and gave him a nod. Then Mungojerrie walked forward and faced the adolescent kitten. It was there that he looked into her eyes for the second time that night. Her eyes were flooded with fear. Mungojerrie could see his reflection in her eyes. And what he saw in that reflection did not please him.

Sharpie began cheering for him "Mungo! Mungo! Mungo!"

Cyclops and Flash soon joined in. But Silent Danger remained quiet. "Mungo! Mungo! Mungo!"

The rest of the henchcats joined in. "Mungo! Mungo! Mungo!"

The only people who were completely quiet right then were Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Macavity, and Silent Danger.

Mungojerrie looked at his boss, who told him "Do it!" Macavity only whispered it, but he was loud enough for Mungojerrie to hear him.

Mungojerrie looked back down at Rumpleteazer. She was sitting on her hind legs, looking up at him. He was standing up directly on his hind legs. He was hesitating intently in this scenario. He knew he needed to make a decision, but first he had to ponder the possibilities first.

Finally, Mungojerrie made his decision. He bared his claws and slowly raised them high above his head. The cheering from the henchcats grew louder, Rumpleteazer's fear increased, and Macavity's face started forming a smile. It was very rare that Macavity smiled, and whenever he did smile, it usually meant bad news for a lot of other people.

Mungojerrie held his paw in midair. Rumpleteazer just looked away and closed her eyes. After about ten seconds, Mungojerrie brought his paw down.

Rumpleteazer was expecting to be covered in agonizing pain. Instead, she felt perfectly fine. She quickly noticed something peculiar; she could move her front paws. She opened her eyes and looked at them. Mungojerrie had cut her bonds with his claws!

The cheering from the henchcats abruptly stopped, and Macavity's grin dropped to its usual icyness.

Rumpleteazer quickly realized what was going on. She looked up at Mungojerrie and smiled at him. Mungo, however, was staring at Macavity with strong anger. He said through gritted teeth "To hell with you. I would never harm an innocent kitten."

Macavity glared at Mungo in equal anger. "You will kill her if you want to continue to work for me."

Mungojerrie looked back down at Rumpleteazer. To his relief, she was not looking at him in fear. Mungo then looked back at Macavity and said "Then I am no longer your partner."

"What?" the calmness in which Macavity uttered that word created a disturbing atmosphere.

"I quit." Mungojerrie said confidently.

Macavity was now staring at Mungojerrie in a completely malicious manner. He then turned to Flash, Silent Danger, Sharpie, and Cyclops and told them "Kill them both."


	4. Favors

Note: Sorry about how long it's been since my last update. I've just been buried in other stuff for the past two weeks.

Mungojerrie quickly helped Rumpleteazer up and told her "Com' with meh, qui'cklee!"

Silent Danger, Flash, Cyclops, and Sharpie chased after the two calico cats. Mungojerrie led Rumpleteazer through a door on the opposite end of the platform and they ran like mad through a labyrinth of corridors. The henchcats followed them close behind.

Finally, they came to a room on the side of the building. It was full of crates. Mungo pushed one of the crates to the side, revealing a secret passage. Mungo told Rumple "Go throu' th'at pahs'age. It leads ta t'e alley. You can escap' from t'ere."

"Won't t'ey follow us?" she inquired.

"No, Mac an' I a're t'e only ones who know about it." he assured her.

"W'at about you?" she asked in concern.

"I'll 'old 'em off." he replied, "Jus' get yo'self out of 'ere."

"W'y can't ya' come with meh?" she asked.

"Mac may know tell 'em 'ow to follow us," he explained. "I 'ave to stay beh'ind to buy ya' some time. Besides, I 'ave now'ere to go; you do."

Rumpleteazer still did not like this plan. She tried to protest "But-"

"Jus' go!" Mungo demanded. "Retu'n to the Jehllicle Tri'be!"

Rumple sighed and went through the hole in the wall. Once she was through, Mungo pushed the crate back into place. Then he got on top of a pile of crates by the door to the room and waited. Soon, Sharpie, Flash, Silent Danger, and Cyclops came into the room. A few more of Macavity's henchcats were about to follow them in, but Mungojerrie pushed the pile of crates from the top. They fell over the entrance, landing on two henchcats, knocking them unconscious. The rest of the henchcats were stuck on the other side.

Mungojerrie faced his four former colleagues and eyed them closely.

Cyclops made the first move. He lunged at Mungojerrie with his fangs showing. Fortunately, Mungo had very fast reflexes; he kicked Cyclops in the face with one of his hind legs.

Cyclops flew across the room and hit a large mirror, shattering it into dozens of shards.

"Such bad timing... an' bad luck, Cy." Mungo scoffed.

Sharpie attacked next. She bared her claws and jumped toward Mungo. She swiped viciously at him several times, but he dodged every blow. He grabbed her from behind and shoved her head into the wall. Then he dropped her to the ground.

Flash and Silent Danger attacked simultanteously. Flash was trying to scratch and bite Mungo at every vulnerable place he could spot. Mungo was fortunate enough to parry most of the attacks, but there were some that Flash succeeded in delivering.

Silent Danger just stood by waiting for the opportunity to strike. Finally, he saw the opportunity. He jumped onto Mungojerrie's back and wrapped his tail around his neck once. Mungo struggled to get him off, but Silent held on tightly.

Silent Danger forced Mungo onto the ground and sat on top of him. He lifted his neck into the air, and made a gesture to Flash, which said "Do it."

Flash helped Sharpie to her feet and asked her "Would you care to do the honors?"

She smiled and said "I would be delighted."

The two of them slowly approached Mungojerrie, who was still being restrained by Silent Danger. Sharpie bared her claws, leaned down, and held them at Mungo's neck.

She then said "It's a pity you had to die for a miserable little kitten, Mungo. We really did like you as our second-in-command."

Mungojerrie was just grinning. He said "O', I enjo'yed workin' with ya, too. In fact, let meh show ya jus' 'ow MUCH I enjo'yed it."

Mungo bent his hind legs and with them grabbed onto Silent Danger's sides. Then, he thrust his body foreward and sent Silent hurling towards Sharpie. The two collided with each other as Mungo somersaulted to avoid the collision. In the end, Sharpie and Silent Danger were a tangled mess on the ground and Mungojerrie was back on his feet.

Flash made a move to attack Mungojerrie again. However, because he was the only attacker this time, Mungo was able to focus exclusively on him.

But across the room, Cyclops was pulling himself to his feet. He was breathing in deeply and angrily, and glaring at Mungo from the tops of his eyes. He picked up a large, sharp, pointy shard of the shattered mirror from the ground and stood up straight.

Just after Cyclops got up, Mungojerrie knocked Flash off his feet and threw him towards Sharpie and Silent Danger. Flash landed on top of the other two and all three of them were lying on the ground.

Mungo smiled in satisfaction, but then he was almost immediately shoved from behind. He fell onto his stomach, but quickly rebounded and turned onto his back. Cyclops was waving the shard of glass at him like a madcat.

Cyclops jumped onto Mungojerrie and held onto his shoulder with his free front paw. Then he raised his other front paw- the one holding the shard of glass- into the air. He tried to bring it down onto Mungojerrie's face, but Mungo grabbed his arm with his front paw just in time. The tip of the shard was just inches from his face. Mungo had each of his front paws on one of Cyclops' front paws. He tried to pry off Cyclops' left paw from his shoulder with his right paw, and he used his left paw to hold back Cyclops' right paw, which held the glass shard.

As the two of them struggled, Cyclops muttered "I'm actually glad you betrayed us. With you out of the way, that makes me the new second-in-command."

Mungo scoffed again and said sarcastically "Well, we can't 'ave th'at, now c'an we?"

Then he took his right paw and thrust it into Cyclops' neck, momentarily distracting him. Mungo pushed the one-eyed cat off, picked him up, and threw him across the room.

Cyclops hit the wall and landed on the ground on his stomach. Unforunately for him, during that entire time, he had held onto the shard of glass, and he had landed on his right paw. Cyclops let out a shriek of pain, but then no sound came from him.

Mungo went over to Cyclops and turned him onto his back. Then he saw that the glass shard had impaled him. It had gone directly through his heart.

The other three henchcats stared in fear at their colleague's fate. Mungo looked over at them, grinned in a devilish manner, and said "Who's next?"

Just then, the crates blocking the entrance to the room were all thrown aside. Mungo turned to the door, but he already knew what he would see before he actually saw it.

Macavity was standing in the doorway. He stared directly at Mungo through eyes lined with fury.

Mungojerrie remained calm and said "It's abo't time ya arrived. I was gettin' bored with these fou'."

Macavity grinned wickedly and said "Well, perhaps I can be more entertaining."

On the ground floor, Rumpleteazer had found her way to the outside. The passageway led her to the alley on the side of the warehouse.

She moved to the entrance to the alleyway, and looked around. After she made sure that the coast was clear, she was about to run off, but then she heard a noise coming from a third-story room in the warehouse.

She looked up towards the third-floor, and she heard sounds of a struggle coming from the other side of one particular window.

In that same room, Mungojerrie and Macavity were viciously fighting each other. Mungo was doing his best to defend and attack at the same time, but in combat, Macavity was far superior.

Every time Mungo tried to attack a weak spot on Macavity, Mac dodged him and attacked him on one of HIS weak spots.

After a while, Mungo just tried to defend himself, but Macavity was much stronger than he was.

Finally, after three minutes, Mungo gave into exhaustion and collapsed onto the ground. He looked up towards Macavity through the corner of his eye. He tried to look confident and unafraid, but his facial expression gave away his fear.

Macavity just grinned wickedly down at Mungojerrie and told him "Mungo, since you're no longer one of us, you should not even be in this building."

Macavity then picked up Mungojerrie with his front legs, held him over his head, and turned toward the sole window in the room. Then Macavity said "Allow me to show you to the quickest exit."

Then he threw Mungojerrie towards the window.

From the ground, Rumpleteazer saw a calico cat sailing through the glass of the window on the third floor she had been watching. The cat hit the wall on the building opposite the third floor and started falling towards the ground. He hit the window ledges on the third and second stories windows, and then he hit the dumpster on the ground. He slowly rolled off and dropped to the ground onto his stomach.

Rumpleteazer slowly approached the calico cat. Soon she realized it was Mungojerrie. She was about to come to his aid when she heard voices coming from the third floor.

One voice said "Do you think he's dead?"

"I'll look to make sure," said another voice.

Rumpleteazer quickly hid underneath the dumpster. Flash looked out from the third-story window. He saw Mungojerrie spread out on the ground.

"He's not moving," Flash announced to the others, "But it's hard to tell if he's breathing."

"Maybe we should investigate," Sharpie suggested as Flash brought his head back inside.

"No," said Macavity. "Let the traitor rot. Our priority now is finding that kitten before she reaches the Jellicle Tribe."

Macavity turned to the lesser henchcats and told them "Search the whole warehouse for her."

They nodded and left to begin their search. Macavity went to speak with Flash.

"Mac, Cyclops is dead." Flash told his boss.

"Dead? How?" said Mac.

"Mungo impaled him with a shard of glass from that broken mirror," Flash explained. "He died just before you arrived."

Mac nodded in sadness and said "That makes you my second-in-command."

"I understand," Flash was about to leave, when Mac said "By the way, when you see Sharpie... send her my apologies." (Cyclops was Sharpie's mate.)

"I will." Flash left the room, leaving his boss in solitude.

Back on the ground, Rumpleteazer peered out from underneath the dumpster towards the broken window on the third floor. No one was there, nor was there any sound coming from the room. She went over to Mungojerrie and turned him over. He was wounded very badly, but he was still alive. At that time, he was unconscious She gently shook him, attempting to revive him.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered in frustration.

After about forty seconds, she succeeded. Mungojerrie opened his eyes weakly. The first thing he saw was Rumpleteazer's warm and welcoming face looking down at his. He felt massive pain all over his body, but at the sight of Rumpleteazer, he ignored the pain and became full of worry.

"W'at the 'ell are you still doing 'ere?" he demanded. "I told ya' to run!"

"I was about to," she told him, "But now t'at you're 'ere, I can't."

"W'y not?" he asked.

"You jus' saved m'y life," she said, "I shou'd retu'n the favo'."

"I apprec'iate t'e gestu'e," he responded, "But ya' shouldn't bothe'. I already told ya' I 'ave now'ere else to go."

"On t'e contra'ry," she contradicted him, "I c'an take you to my 'ome."

Mungo's eyes lit up, "Ar'e you mad? I can't go wi'th ya to the Jehllicle Junkya'd!"

"W'y not?" she frowned.

"I've terror'ized them fo' weeks!" he said. "I wouldn't be ahny bette' off t'ere than I am 'ere!"

Rumple shook her head and said "I c'an convince m'y peo'ple to accehpt ya."

"No, I'm not goin' t'ere," he argued.

"Yo're not exhactly in a position to a'gue," she said, pointing out his numerous wounds.

"Jus' leave me befohe t'ey find you!" he pleaded.

"I don't th'ink you get t'e message," she said, "I'm savin' you'r life whethe' you like it o'r not."

"Well, if ya want to take meh t'ere, you'll 'ave to drag me t'ere," Mungo grinned, thinking he had won. "T'ere is no w'ay I'm goin' t'ere voluntar'ily."

Rumple just smiled and responded "Ok'ay. I won't m'ind carryin' you fo'r seven blocks."

Rumple got in front of Mungo and took his front two paws in hers. Then she pulled him over her back. He was almost one and a-half times her size, but she was stronger than she appeared to be. She was certainly stronger than he was in his current state. Mungo was able to protest, but he knew it would be useless to do so.

Once Mungo was secure on her back, Rumple started making her way back to the Jellicle Junkyard.


	5. A Cautious Welcome

Ten minutes passed. At that time at the Jellicle Junkyard, this was the earliest time when Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat would be leaving for his shift on the Night Mail. But that was not the most important thing on his mind that night.

He and his mate, Jennyanydots, had not seen their eldest daughter for hours. However, Skimble still got his vest on to prepare to leave for the station. But he planned to do this only in the event that his daughter came home soon.

When he returned from his den, Skimble found Jenny pacing back and forth in the clearing. "Any sign of her, yet?" he inquired.

"Rumpleteazer hasn't come home yet," Jenny shook her head, turning to her mate. "I told her to be back by 9:30. That was nearly two hours ago."

"How odd," said Skimble, "It's not like Rumple to be so late for her curfew. Are you sure she didn't say where she was going?"

"No," said Jenny, "She just went for a walk. I haven't seen her since."

Skimble was starting to get very worried, too. "I hope she's alright."

Ten minutes later, Rumpleteazer arrived at the entrance to the junkyard. The total distance from the Jellicle Junkyard to Macavity's hideout was seven entire blocks. Normally, Rumpleteazer could travel seven blocks in less than ten minutes. But she had a tom that was three-halves her size on her back the whole way. This hindered her considerably.

She gently set Mungojerrie onto the ground and told him "Sta'y 'ere. I'll go get 'elp."

Mungo weakly nodded and lay flat on his stomach.

Rumpleteazer ran into the junkyard and made her way to her clearing. To her relief, her parents and several of the adult cats were there.

She called to her parents "Mom! Dad!"

When Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots heard and saw their daughter, their anxiety was quickly relieved. They ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Teazer, where in the Heaviside Lair have you been?" Jenny demanded.

"T'ere's no time t'o explahin." she told them, "I brou'ht back somebody th'at needs 'elp."

"Where is this person?" asked Skimble.

"At the entr'ance of the junkya'd," Rumple replied, "Pleaz 'urry, he is badly wounded!"

Rumpleteazer led Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots, Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Jellylorum to the entrance of the Junkyard. Sure enough, Mungojerrie was still there, but he was trying to crawl away from the junkyard with the little energy he had left.

As the Jellicles approached him, Jenny asked her daughter "Why is he crawling away from the junkyard?"

"'e didn't want meh t'o bring 'im 'ere." Rumple explained.

"Why's that?" asked Skimble, coming to the front of Mungojerrie.

"His rea'sons were vague," Rumple told her father, "But some'ow, he predicted t'at 'e would not be wel'come 'ere."

Just then, Munkustrap lifted Mungojerrie's head up to see his face. Almost immediately, he recognized him. Munkustrap jumped back and told the others "Get back!"

Mungo's held fell back to the ground as Munkustrap jumped back. The other cats looked at Munk in confusion. "What's wrong, Munk?" asked Alonzo.

"That's Mungojerrie!" Munkustrap responded, pointing to the injured calico cat.

All the other cats except Rumpleteazer hastily moved away.

"Evident'lee, I was righ't," Mungojerrie said without even looking up.

Jennyanydots was about to pull Rumpleteazer away from Mungojerrie, but Rumple fought her mother's grasp.

"What's t'he problem?" she shouted angrily.

"Why did you bring him here?" Munkustrap demanded.

"He sav'ed mah life!" Rumple revealed, "I was jus' retu'ning the favo'. Wh'at's 'rong with all of ya?"

"Teazer, that cat is Macavity's second-in-command!" Skimble responded.

"Was," Mungo corrected him, still with his face staring at the ground.

"What does he mean 'was?'" asked Jellylorum.

"'e no long'er works fo' Macavity," Rumpleteazer clarified, "'e used to, but as of... I'd sahy, eleven o'clo'ck tonight, 'e no long'er does."

"Teazer, I think you better explain this," said Munkustrap.

"I will, Munk, I prom'ise," she guaranteed the Jellicle Protector, "But fi'rst, please 'elp Jerrie. I jus' want some assu'rance that 'e won't die. Afte' that, I'll tell ya' everythin."

After careful consideration, Munkustrap hesitantly agreed to bring Mungojerrie into the Junkyard. He and Alonzo carried the calico tom into a vacant den. There, the two of them kept watch at the entrance while Skimbleshanks examined his wounds. Once he was finished examining him, Jennyanydots and Jellylorum started to treat Mungo's wounds.

"He suffered some internal injuries," Skimble reported to Alonzo, "But I think Quaxo can help us heal them."

"Very well," said Munkustrap. "Say, Skimble, shouldn't you be leaving for the train station soon?"

"No, I've got time," said Skimble. "The Night Mail doesn't leave until midnight; it's eleven-thirty right now."

Once Rumpleteazer was convinced that Mungojerrie would survive, she went into her explanation.

Hours earlier, just after dinner, she had left the junkyard for a short time. Originally, she had just planned to go for a walk around town and then go right back home. But four blocks away from the Jellicle Junkyard, she had witnessed two cats attacking a pedestrian and robbing him.

Rumple had curiously followed the two of them, and they ended up entering a large abandoned warehouse. She was cautious from that point onward. She wanted to investigate, but when she did, she was caught by the two cats she had followed. It would be redundant to say the rest, as you already know the rest of it, my dear readers.

"Mungojerrie ri'sked 'is life to sa've mi'ne," said Rumple, "'e was willing to die fo' me."

"That is quite interesting," said Jellylorum, "But what I would like to know is WHY he saved your life."

"My mor'als got in the w'ay," Mungojerrie explained for her, "I may be a thief, a lia', and a cheate', but I am not a murdere'. I cou'dn't live with th'at kind of guilt on mah consh'ence."

Shortly after this, Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots decided that they could trust Mungojerrie in this matter. Jellylorum was still a little skeptical, but she brought herself to trust him as well.

Alonzo and Munkustrap were still far from trusting him. Mungo could detect their suspicion, but he just grinned and said "Don' wor'y, I got bette' t'ings to do than cause trouble fo'r the Jehllicles."

Once the explanation was over, Skimbleshanks left the junkyard to get to the train station. As usual, he arrived just in time. Jennyanydots went to give a music lesson to a tamed group of mice in the junkyard, and Jellylorum went to tend to her father-in-law, Gus the Theatre Cat. Jellylorum was just as close to Gus as her mate, Asparagus, was.

Alonzo and Munkustrap were still debating on what to do with Mungojerrie. Alonzo had theorized that Mungojerrie was just acting, but he quickly put his theory aside when Rumpleteazer told him that Mungojerrie had been thrown out of a three-story window. Alonzo knew that a fall like that could kill a cat, and Macavity would not risk the lives of his loyal operatives in such a manner just for them to seem like traitors.

In the end, Munkustrap decided to just leave the matter up to Old Deuteronomy himself. But that would have to wait until at least the next morning. Until then, they decided to let Mungo rest in the vacant den.


	6. Progressing Friendship

Note: This chapter will go by a little quickly. It's the next couple of chapters I'm really looking forward to.

Back at the warehouse, the search for Rumpleteazer was still going on. Macavity was in the main storage area, listening to reports from some of his henchcats on their progress.

They had practically torn the entire building apart looking for Rumpleteazer, but she was nowhere to be found.

"That kitten has got to be here somewhere," Macavity muttered to himself.

A little while later, Flash and Sharpie came to their boss and told him "Mac, we think we've found something. You should probably see it for yourself"

They led him back to the room he had thrown Mungojerrie out of and went over to one of the boxes on the wall. They showed him what they had found.

There were a few strands of cat hair hanging onto the side of the box. After a close inspection, they determined that the hairs belonged to a calico cat.

"These hairs could only have come from Mungojerrie, or Rumpleteazer," Sharpie concluded.

"But I never saw Mungo over by these boxes during the fight," said Flash.

Macavity stood thinking about the scenario, and then he quickly remembered something he had forgotten long ago.

"Move that box to the side," he ordered two henchcats in the room with him. The two servile cats nodded and pushed the box three feet to the side. The hole in the wall was quickly revealed.

"I think we just brought this search to a swift end," Macavity grinned.

He, Flash, Sharpie and the two henchcats entered the hole and started descending down the passage. After a few minutes, they wound up on the other side in the alley.

"Mac, how did you know to look behind that crate?" inquired Sharpie.

"When Mungo and I first came to this place, we found that passage in the wall," Macavity explained. "Originally, we intended to use it as a secret entrance, but after a while, we neglected it completely. Or at least I did."

Flash sighed. "It looks as though Rumpleteazer got away."

Sharpie looked to the center of the alley, and she realized it was completely deserted. However, there were some blood stains glistening in the moonlight on the ground.

"Over there!" she pointed to the blood stains.

The others gathered around the blood stains and examined them closely. Flash touched the blood with one of his paws and examined it closely. He let just the slightest bit of it get onto the tip of his tongue, then he announced to the others "Cat blood."

They also found some more hairs of a calico cat there.

Macavity was suddenly inclined to look directly up. There, he saw the broken window on the third floor.

"If that's the room where we confronted Mungojerrie," Macavity speculated, "Then this should be the exact spot he landed after I threw him out that window."

"But where the hell is he?" said Sharpie, "He couldn't have gotten away on his own; his injuries were far too great."

"Rumpleteazer must have helped him," Flash concluded.

There was an unpleasant silence for a few moments. Then Macavity turned to the two lesser henchcats and told them "I want both of you to go to the Jellicle Junkyard tonight. Keep an eye on the place until you see either Rumpleteazer or Mungojerrie. If you do see either of them, report to me at once."

The two henchcats nodded and started making their way across town.

Back at the Junkyard, Mungojerrie was lying on the bed in his temporary den in the Jellicle Junkyard. He was deep in thought, reflecting on the events of the past few hours. One moment he was working for Macavity; the next, he found himself in the company of Macavity's enemies. He was also pondering the possibilities on what to do in the future. However, for the present, all he could do was let his injuries heal.

After a while, there was a knock on the makeshift door to the den. He looked to it and said "Com'e in."

The door opened and Rumpleteazer came inside. Mungo grinned at her and said "I thou't it wou'd be ya."

She smiled back and told him "I neveh prope'ly thanked ya for savin' mah life. So, I jus' wanted ta say... thank you."

Mungo nodded and said "I guess I shou'd thank ya for retu'ning the favo'. Thank you, too."

Rumple sat down next to Mungo on the bed and looked into his eyes. The first time she had looked into them that night, she could see only the malicious side of Mungo's personality in them. But for the first time, she realized just how warm and inviting they really were.

"By the w'ay," she told him, "I wanted ya to know that eve'n if Munk and 'Lonzo don't trust you... I do. An' I'm shure that my pa'rents and Aunt Jelly do, too."

"I apprec'iate the notion," Mungo assured her, "But I'm afra'id I cannot stay 'ere fo' long."

She frowned. "W'hy can't you?"

"I don't think I will eve'r be welcome," Mungo explained, "Granted, Macavity did te'll meh about you'r leade's kind pe'sonality, I do not believe I will tru'lee be accepted here."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Someone said from the other side "Rumple, what are you doing in there?"

"Nothing, Alonzo," she responded. "I'm jus' talkin with Mungo."

"Rumple, I thought I told you not to speak to him until Old Deuteronomy has spoken to him!" Alonzo shouted.

"An' wh'at will ya do if I don't lis'en to you?" she retorted. "Will ya 'tell you'r fath'er?'"

There was silence for a moment. Then Alonzo said "You've got six minutes. No more."

Rumpleteazer turned back to Mungojerrie and told him "I'm so'ry abou' that. Alonzo c'an be a real je'rk at times."

"I not'ice that 'e pa'ticularly dislikes meh," Mungo noted. "By the w'ay, who's his fathe'?"

Rumple hesitated for a moment, and then she told him: "Macavity's his fathe'."

Mungo looked surprised. "Really? The two of 'em look nothin' al'ike."

"'Lonzo looks jus' like 'is mothe'." Rumple explained. "'owever, you may not'ice 'ow simila' thei' phsyic'al fram'es are."

"Yes, I did not'ce th'at." Mungo nodded. "Macavity neve' told us 'e had a son."

"'e has two," Rumple told him, "I can intr'aduce ya to 'im later."

"I appreci'ate the offe'," said Mungo, "But as I told ya befo'e, I cannot stay 'ere."

"Well, if th'at's the case," she said, "W'ere will you go? Ya told me you 'ad now'ere ta go."

"I actu'lly 'ave a place of resid'ence on Victo'ria Grove," he told her, "That's w'ere I lived befo'e Macavity 'ired me. I only told ya I 'ad now'ere to go so that you wou'd leave me to avoid gettin' cau't by Mac an' the othe' 'enchcats."

She smiled at him and told him "I'll make su're you're wel'come 'ere. I'm su're that I c'an get my sistehs an' my friends to acc'ept ya."

Mungo still had little intention of staying in the Jellicle Junkyard, but after a brief discussion with Rumpleteazer, he was starting to become more and more interested in the option. After all, Rumple made him feel welcome, and that was enough for him.

Just before Rumple left, she looked back and told him "Think abou' staying 'ere. Our leade' will talk to ya in the mornin'; you can ma'ke you'r dec'ision then."

Then she departed from the den to let Mungojerrie rest.

Shortly after she left, Rumpleteazer went to bed herself. By then, the two henchcats had arrived at the junkyard. No one was on patrol at the main entrance, so the two of them stealthily crept in through there.

Once inside the area, the two of them climbed to the top of the one of the second tallest piles in the junkyard. There, they got a great view of the clearing. Several of the adult cats were talking with each other down there.

"So, now what do we do?" one of them asked the other.

"Simple," was his partner's answer, "We wait."

The two of them remained on top of that pile of junk and kept their eyes open for Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They were determined to stay there all night if they had to.


	7. A New Family

Mungojerrie found himself back in the warehouse the next morning. He was back in Macavity's arms, and he about to be thrown out the same window as before.

Macavity's countenance became lined with fury and disturbing humor at the same time. His henchcats were all lined up behind him, and they were laughing wickedly.

Then he saw the most horrible sight: Rumpleteazer was lying right before him on the floor. Her fur was messed up, her blood was flowing all around her, and her body was devoid of all signs of life.

Macavity looked up at Mungojerrie and told him "Have fun on the ground."

Then Mac threw Mungo through the window once again. Only this time, there was no ground. Mungo just kept falling... and falling... and falling... and falling.

Finally... he woke up. He sat up straight and breathed in deeply. But then he grasped his shoulder in pain. After quickly examining himself, he recognized his shoulder injury as one of the ones he had acquired from his fall the previous day. Mungo then looked around, and he realized he was still in the same den at the Jellicle Junkyard.

Mungo quickly realized that everything he had just seen was only a nightmare, and he slowly calmed down and laid back down on the bed.

An hour later, there was a knock at the door. Mungo turned to it and said "Ent'er."

A very large and very old cat with shaggy brown fur entered the den. He was followed by Munkustrap and three cats Mungo did not know from before. Two of them looked exactly the same; the only difference was their genders. The third was a young tuxedo kitten.

Mungojerrie quickly sat up and said "You... must... b'e... Old Deuteronomy."

The elderly brown cat nodded and said "You are correct, Mungojerrie."

Mungo quickly bowed down before the powerful figure. He bowed so that his face was touching the ground. He then spoke quietly but clearly "I will le'ave this pla'ce wheneve' you want me to. Jus' say the wo'rd an' I'll be outta 'ere faste' than a Peke on a Pollicle."

Old Deuteronomy lightly chuckled and placed his front paw on Mungojerrie's shoulder. "I did not come here to force you to leave, Mungojerrie. I came here to discover your intentions."

Mungo peered up at the Jellicle leader from the corner of his eye and asked him "'ow will ya do that? Do you wish to inter'ogate me?"

Old Deuteronomy smiled down at the calico cat and told him "No, all I have to do is contact the Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity."

Mungo looked confused. "Wh'at's th'at?" he asked.

"It would take hours to completely describe it," was the wise leader's answer, "It is much easier for everyone if I just show you what it is. Coricopat, Tantomile..." he signaled two of the other cats in the room.

The two identical cats slowly approached Mungojerrie. The male one - Coricopat - stood to Mungo's right, and the female one - Tantomile - stood to his left. Old Deuteronomy stood in front of Mungojerrie so that Tantomile was directly to HIS right, and Coricopat was directly to HIS left.

Coricopat held out his left paw to Mungojerrie, who took it in his right paw. Tantomile held out her right paw to Mungo; Mungo took it in his left paw.

Old Deuteronomy took Coricopat's right paw in his left paw, and he took Tantomile's left paw in his right paw.

Finally, the four of them had formed a circle together.

"Munkustrap, Quaxo, leave us," Old Dueteronomy ordered the other two cats behind him.

"But father-" Munkustrap began.

"Munkustrap, if I am not alone with these three, it will be difficult to contact the Mystical Divinity in this manner," Old Deuteronomy told the Jellicle Protector.

"Very well," Munkustrap reluctantly left the den with the tuxedo kitten.

Once Old Deuteronomy was alone with Mungojerrie and the twins, he instructed Mungo "Now close your eyes and try to look inside yourself."

"'Look ins'ide me-self?'" said Mungo.

"Try to open your mind and let your thoughts flow freely," Old Deuteronomy clarified. "I will then contact the Mystical Divinity and interpret whether or not you have truthfully forsaken Macavity and the rest of his organization."

Mungo closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of any nonessential thoughts. Once he was properly focused, he said "I'm re'ady."

Old Deuteronomy closed his eyes and said "Coricopat, Tantomile, begin."

The twins closed their eyes, froze in their positions, and concentrated their psychic powers on Mungojerrie's mind. Mungo was undergoing a rather peculiar sensation, as if he was staring into an endless void.

There was over ten minutes of absolute silence. During that time, no one moved a muscle.

After what felt like an age, Old Deuteronomy's voice pierced the silence and said "Return, Mungojerrie."

Mungojerrie opened up his eyes and was greeted with the grinning countenance of the Jellicle leader. Up until that point, Coricopat and Tantomile had not expressed any emotion whatsoever. But now, they were looking at Mungojerrie as if he was a close friend.

"The Mystical Divinity has told us that you have completely forsaken Macavity's group for good," Old Deuteronomy revealed, "All that remains is a few questions."

"Ques'tions 'bout wh'at?" inquired Mungo.

"Yourself," Old Deuteronomy answered him. "Tell me about yourself, Mungojerrie."

"Well, sih, my backg'roun isn't exhactly the happies' ya'll eve'r h'ear," said Mungo.

"I wish to know about it anyway," said Old Deuteronomy.

Mungo went into a lengthy explanation about his story. Once he was finished, Old Deuteronomy asked him a few more questions. Mungojerrie answered them all in complete honesty and seriousness. Once he was finished, Old Deuteronomy asked him one final question: "Would you like to join us, Mungojerrie?"

Mungo did not hesitate as he thought he would. He realized that Rumpleteazer was correct; this was a great place for him to start a new life. He looked straight into the Jellicle leader's eyes and told him "Yes, sih. I would lo've ta jo'in you."

Old Deuteronomy smiled at him, helped him up from the bed, and told him "Then on behalf of the Mystical Divinity, I officially welcome you into the Jellicle Tribe."

Coricopat and Tantomile smiled warmly at Mungojerrie.

"Congratulations," said Coricopat.

"You're one of us now," said Tantomile.

"Th'ank you bo'th," said Mungojerrie. He looked up at Old Deuteronomy and told him "Th'ank you, too, sih." Mungo held out his paw to shake Old Deuteronomy's paw. Old Deuteronomy ignored it and embraced Mungojerrie royally. During the hug, Old Deuteronomy said "A paw-shake conveys agreement and friendship; an embrace conveys trust and closeness."

Once the two of them came apart, Old Deuteronomy asked Mungo "Would you care to come outside and meet the rest of the tribe?"

Mungo nodded. "But befo'e that, sih, may I see Rump'leteazeh?"

"She has actually been waiting outside the door this entire time," Old Deuteronomy enlightened him, "She wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Mungo said through a beaming smile "The feelin' is mut'al."

Mungo started to make his way to the door, but he collapsed before he could take three steps. In all the excitement, he had forgotten that he had been beaten half to death. While some of his injuries have been healed by Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, most of them remained.

Coricopat and Tantomile went to Mungojerrie and helped him up.

"Th'anks fo' th'at," he said.

"Perhaps we should heal your wounds before we do anything else," Old Deuteronomy suggested.

"'ow will ya do th'at?" asked Mungo, "Does th'is 'Mys'tical Div'inity' 'ave healing capa'bilities as well?"

"No, this will require a different form of mysticism," said Old Deuteronomy. He went to the door of the den and opened it. Rumpleteazer was standing right there.

"May I co'me in now?" she asked.

"Yes, you may, Rumpleteazer," Old Deuteronomy smiled down at her.

Rumple walked past the Jellicle leader and went over to Mungojerrie. She asked him "Ho'w are ya feelin'?"

"I feel li'ke I got th'rown from the top of a fo'rty-sto'ry buildin' instead of a th'ree-sto'ry buildin'," Mungo answered, "But othe' than th'at, I'm doin' gr'eat."

Old Deuteronomy looked out the door and said "Quaxo, you're needed in here."

The tuxedo kitten came back into the den. But he looked different this time. His coat was sparkling and his tail seemed to have gotten shorter.

"What would you like me to do, Grandpa- er, Old Deuteronomy?" asked the young kitten.

"I need you to heal Mungojerrie's wounds," said the Jellicle leader, "I have discovered that we can trust him. In fact, I have allowed him to join the Jellicle Tribe."

Rumple smiled up at Mungo when she heard this. "I'm gl'ad you're stayin'."

"As a'm I," said Mungo, grinning down at her.

Quaxo eagerly sauntered over to Mungojerrie and had him sit back down on the bed. He gave him a quick examination. During that time, he told Mungo "I can heal any injury, as long as it's not fatal."

Once the examination was over, Quaxo placed his paws on the parts of Mungo's body that were injured the most. He warned him "You may feel a slight shock" and suddenly, a bolt of light came out of his paws.

"Ow!" said Mungo, clutching his side. The pain only lasted a moment, however. After that, Mungo felt no pain anywhere in his body. He looked himself over, and he discovered that all of his wounds had been healed just like magic!

"Incre'dible," Mungo said under his breath. Quaxo smiled up at Mungo and held out his paw.

"I'm Quaxo, by the way," he said as Mungojerrie shook his paw, "But you can call me 'Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.' That's what my girlfriend Vickie calls me."

"Who?" said Mungo.

"'e means Vict'oria, my younge' sisteh," said Rumpleteazer.

"Oh, okay," said Mungo. He looked at Mistoffelees and told him "You mus' be Mac's othe' son."

"How'd you know that?" queried Quaxo.

"Rumple 'ere told meh that Mac 'as two sons in the tribe," Mungo explained, "I know th'at 'Lonzo is one of 'em, and Mac can do similar things like wh'at you jus' did. Only 'e uses his pow'ers for 'is own gain, and when someone gets inju'ies such as the ones I 'ad, 'e jus' lets 'em die."

"You'll find that the Jellicle Junkyard is a completely different place from my father's hideout," said Quaxo.

"Are you still interested in meeting everyone else, Mungojerrie?" asked Old Deuteronomy.

"Of cou'se I am, sih," said Mungojerrie.

"Then let us start immediately," said Old Deuteronomy.

Coricopat, Tantomile, and Quaxo Mistoffelees left the den first. Old Deuteronomy left next, and he was quickly followed by Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.


	8. Spies and Tours

When Mungojerrie came outside, he was unsure that he could make a good first impression. But with Rumpleteazer at his side, he felt more confident.

When he came outside, the first person he saw was Munkustrap. Munkustrap was still eying him in that same cold manner.

Rumpleteazer stood in the way and told the Jellicle Protector "Leave 'im al'one, Munk. Mungo's one o'f us now."

Munkustrap looked Mungojerrie directly in the eye and said "Is that so?"

"Yes, I would s'ay th'at th'at is so," said Mungo, "Your fathe' 'as acc'epted me inta the Tr'ibe."

Munkustrap folded his front legs and said "Well, in that case, would you mind telling us who that is?" He gestured to something behind him. Mungo looked and saw a hostile-looking cat being restrained by Alonzo and a cat with a large mane.

"If I know w'ho 'e is, I'll tell ya." Mungo assured the Jellicle Protector. "Bring 'im clos'er."

Alonzo and the other cat brought the hostile cat closer to Mungojerrie, and then they pushed him the rest of the way.

The cat looked up at Mungo and shot him a nasty look.

"I know w'ho th'is is," said Mungo after he recognized the cat, "Th'is is one of Macavity's 'enchcats an' one of mah forme' colleag'es. 'is name is Zebrim."

"You treacherous sack of Pollicle sh-" Zebrim started to throw an insult at Mungo, but Alonzo kicked him in the side and said "Shut up!"

"Easy, Alonzo," said Munkustrap. "We need him well enough to talk."

"I t'hink I 'ave a hunch as to w'hy he's 'ere," said Mungojerrie. He kneeled down next to the henchcat and said "You're 'ere to spy on us, a'ren't ya?"

The henchcat spat in Mungo's face. But Mungo did not react. He just stood up straight, wiped off his face, and said "I'll t'ake th'at as a 'yes.'"

Alonzo grabbed the henchcat by the neck and said "So, plan to pay your boss a little visit soon, do you?"

"Wait, somethin' is not right 'ere," said Mungojerrie.

"What do you mean?" asked Munkustrap.

"W'heneve' Mac sends out sp'ies, 'e sends 'em out in pa'irs," Mungojerrie stared Zebrim straight in the eye and asked him "W'ere's you'r partne'?"

Zebrim spat in Mungojerrie's face again, but once again, Mungo did not react. He just wiped off his face again and said "I c'an do th'is all day, Zeb. But I know th'at t'ere's only one w'ay ta ma'ke ya talk. Th'is tr'ibe's morals a're the on'ly thing prev'enting me from impl'ementin' that meth'od."

There was a brief interval of silence, and then Munkustrap asked Mungo "What do you suggest we do?"

Mungo turned back to Munkustrap, walked away from Zebrim, and said "You shou'd pro'bably jus' kill 'im. We can't risk 'im retur'ning to the 'ideout."

"We only believe in killing if it's absolutely necessary," said Munkustrap, "We do not kill unarmed prisoners."

"As I jus' found out las' night," said Mungo, "Macavity doesn't 'ave the sa'me mor'als."

"Macavity is a murderer," Munkustrap argued.

Mungojerrie leaned over to Munkustrap and whispered something into his ear. Munkustrap then turned to his front and, looking directly at Zebrim, said "Alonzo, throw that scum into the river on the next block."

Alonzo looked at Munk in surprise and said "But Munk, you just said-"

Before he could say another word, Munkustrap gave him a signal through movements in his eyebrows.

Alonzo quickly realized what was going on. He nodded and said grinning "I'll do it right away, Munk."

Zebrim's eyes shot up. "You must be joking."

"No, that's my job," said the cat with the large mane.

"Thank you, Tugger," said Munkustrap. "And Zebrim, I never joke."

Alonzo and Rum Tum Tugger started half-carrying, half-dragging Zebrim towards the entrance of the junkyard. Zebrim fought desperately to get away, but they were too strong for him. Just before they reached the entrance, Zebrim shouted "Okay, okay, I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Alonzo and Tugger took Zebrim back into the Junkyard and put him directly in front of Munkustrap.

"My partner got away just before I was discovered," said Zebrim, "Our orders were to wait until we saw Mungojerrie and/or Rumpleteazer. When we saw the latter of them in the clearing, my partner headed back to our hideout to inform our boss. I stayed behind to see if Mungojerrie was still here. Not long after that, you found me up there."

Munkustrap looked at Mungojerrie and grinned at him. He told him "Ve'ry good actin', Munk. Can I call ya 'Munk?'"

"Of course you can," said the black and silver tabby.

"What the hell?" said Zebrim in confusion. "This was all just an act?"

"Yes, it was," Munkustrap nodded. "And thank you for giving us this information."

"Now, if you'll be so kind as to give us the location of Macavity's hideout..." said Rum Tum Tugger.

"Oh, no, I will not!" Zebrim fought back, breaking free of both Alonzo and Tugger. He quickly ran as fast as he could to the entrance of the junkyard. Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, Alonzo, Tugger, and Rumpleteazer followed close behind.

Zebrim ran out into the street outside the junkyard. He would have gotten away, but he did not notice a double-decker bus coming directly towards him!

Munkustrap stopped on the edge of sidewalk and spread out his front legs to prevent anybody else from walking onto the street.

"Look out!" he tried to warn Zebrim. But he was too late. The bus ran over Zebrim.

Munkustrap and everyone else looked away, but a loud *CRUNCH* told them that Zebrim had been run over.

"Damnit," Tugger muttered under his breath. "So much for discovering the location of Macavity's hideout."

"Wh'at, did it not occu'r to ya th'at I might know wh'ere his 'ideout is?" said Mungojerrie.

"Oh, sorry," said Tugger.

"No prob'lem," said Mungo, "I c'an give ya a full sket'ch of the ar'ea."

(A half-hour later...)

After Mungojerrie had drawn up detailed blueprints of Macavity's entire hideout, Alonzo and Munkustrap went to studying them. Rumpleteazer and Rum Tum Tugger agreed to give Mungojerrie a tour of the junkyard.

He already knew several members of the Junkyard, but there were still several others that he was unfamiliar with.

When they returned to the clearing, there were seven kittens playing a game there. The only one Mungojerrie knew was Quaxo. The others were two toms and four queens. One of the toms was white and brown, and the other one was grey, white, and brown. One of the queens was pure white, another was a tortoiseshell, a third was white and brown, and the last one was black and ginger.

When they caught sight of Rum Tum Tugger, all the queen-kits crawled toward the cat with the mane and circled around him, trying to get his attention.

Tugger grinned down at the queen-kits and started waving his hips seductively.

Mungojerrie found the sight rather... disturbing. He leaned over to Rumpleteazer and asked her "Wh'at the 'ell is 'e doin'?"

"Tugge' 'as his own fanclub," Rumple explained, "But wh'ile we're 'ere, I may as well intra'duce ya to 'em."

She walked over to the white queen and the black and ginger queen. She waited until she had their attention, and then she said "Mungo, I'd like ya to meet mah younge' sistehs, Victoria and Jemima. Vickie, Jemmy, th'is is Mungoje'rhie. 'e jus' joined the tr'ibe."

"Pleased to meet you," said Victoria, the white cat.

"I hope you enjoy yourself here," said Jemima, the black and ginger cat.

"Th'ank you," said Mungo, "I'm su're I'll en'joy it."

He and Rumpleteazer walked over to the tortoiseshell queen. Once she had gotten the kitten's attention, she said "Electra, th'is is Mungoje'rhie; 'e jus' joined us. Mungo, th'is is Electra."

"Good day," Electra grinned up at him. Then she quickly turned her attention back to Tugger.

"S'he seemed n'ice," said Mungo.

"Yeah, but if I wer'e you, I'd be ca'eful aroun' 'er," Rumple cautioned him, "s'he's Munkust'rap's daughte'."

"Oh, ok'ay," said Mungo as they approached the last queen- the white and brown one.

"La'st but not le'ast, Mungo, th'is is-" Rumpleteazer was promptly interrupted by a high-pitch squeal. The squeal came from the white and brown queen. Clearly, she was overexcited by Rum Tum Tugger's seductive movements. Tugger quickly put his paw over her mouth to make her quiet. After a moment, she fainted.

"Etcetera," Rumpleteazer finished her sentence. "I'll prope'ly intra'duce ya to 'er when s'he wakes up."

"You'll have to excuse our sister," the grey, white, and brown tom said to Mungojerrie, "She's Tugger's biggest fan, and she is very easy to excite."

"There is no doubt about that in my mind," said the white and brown tom.

"I se'e," said Mungojerrie.

"By the way, I'm Pouncival," said the grey, white, and brown tom as held out his paw. Mungojerrie shook it firmly. "But you can call me 'Pounce.'"

"And I'm Tumblebrutus," said the white and brown tom. Mungo shook hands with him too. "You can call me 'Tumble.'"

"Na'me's Mungoje'rhie," Mungo introduced himself, "If ya want, you c'an call meh eithe' 'Mungo' o'r 'Jerrie.'"

By then, Tugger had stopped waving his hips and he had gone to talk with Quaxo. Quaxo was in the process of folding up a piece of cloth so that it would disappear in a certain way.

"About to do another trick, 'Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?'" asked Tugger.

"You could say that Tugger," Quaxo nodded.

Mungo leaned over to Rumple and whispered into her ear "I thou't ya said on'ly Vict'oria called Quaxo th'at."

"Act'ally, it was Tugge' who pat'ented th'at te'rm in the fi'rst place," Rumple explained. "But othe' than Vickie, 'e's the on'ly one w'ho calls Quaxo th'at name."

A few moments later, two queens came into the Junkyard. The older one was red, black, and very tall. The younger one was gold, black, and very short.

Electra ran over to the younger one and said "Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, sweetie," the gold queen smiled at the tortoiseshell.

The red queen sauntered over to the group and said hello to everyone there. She looked at Mungojerrie, and noted the resemblance he had to Rumpleteazer. She said to the calico queen "Teazer, I didn't know you had an older brother."

"I don't, Bomba," was Teazer's response, "He's jus' the tr'ibe's new'est membe'."

"Oh, okay," the red queen shook paws with Mungojerrie and said flirtatiously "My name is Bombalurina. What's yours, handsome?"

"Ummm..." Mungo found Bombalurina's introduction to be rather... unique, to say the least, "Mah na'me is Mungoje'rhie."

The gold queen looked up at Mungo and said "What... what did you say your name was?"

Mungojerrie rolled his eyes, as he felt that he could predict her reaction. "Mah na'me is Mungoje'rhie. But befo'e ya freak out, I want ya to know th'at as of el'even o'clock la'st night, I no longe' wo'rk fo' Macavity."

"He speaks the truth, Aunt Demeter," said Quaxo, "Old Deuteronomy confirmed it himself."

At that, the gold queen calmed down. "Sorry, it's just that Macavity and I have some... unpleasant history."

"Oh, th'at ma'kes sense," said Mungojerrie. Just then, his eyelids went up. He looked at the gold queen and said "Wa'it a minut'; you're Demete'?"

"Yes, that's me," she responded.

Mungojerrie scoffed and said "Macavity wou'dn't sh'ut up about ya! The guy's like- I dunno- infatu'ated or somethin with you."

"That's what I dreaded," said Demeter, "And I would prefer it if we did not talk about this right now. We can discuss it later, but not now."

"Alr'ight then," Mungo agreed.

Bombalurina stepped up to Tugger and started flirting with him. The two of them were about to share a kiss, but Bombalurina pulled herself away at the last moment.

"What's wrong, Bomb?" asked Tugger.

"Tugger, don't take this the wrong way," said Bombalurina, "But your breath smells terrible."

"I know," said Tugger, "I have a good idea about the reason. Earlier today at my humans' place, I was eating this new type of catfood. It tasted rather strange. Conveniently, they left the box of the food right next to me. I looked at the side of the box and it said 'Ingredient: Gunk.'"

"Yuck," said Bombalurina.

"I suspected as much," said Demeter.

"My humans once gave me food from a box that said 'Ingredients: You're better off not knowing' on the side," said Bombalurina.

"What did you do?" asked Tugger.

"I just went ahead and ate it," she answered, "After all, it can't hurt you with what you don't know."

After a few more minutes of talking with the kittens and the two adult queens, Rum Tum Tugger and Rumpleteazer continued to give Mungojerrie a tour of the Jellicle Junkyard.


	9. The Next Strike

Back at Macavity's hideout, Zebrim's partner, Kotene, had returned. He had been in Macavity's room, informing his boss that Rumpleteazer was still alive, and that Zebrim had remained behind to determine whether or not Mungojerrie was alive as well.

After waiting for a while, Macavity was starting to become impatient.

"It is not like Zebrim to take this long," he announced. "Where could he be?"

"Perhaps he is still waiting to confirm whether or not Mungojerrie is alive," said Sharpie.

"I don't think so," said a new voice. Everybody turned to see another henchcat enter the room. The henchcat approached them and said "We spotted Zebrim a few blocks from here. He appears to have been run over by a bus. He's dead."

Macavity swore under his breath and started pacing.

"This is just fantastic," he said sarcastically, "My second-in-command has betrayed us, the Jellicles know the location of our hideout, and now two members of our group have been killed within the past fifteen hours."

"Should we start formulating a new plan, boss?" asked Flash.

"Yes, Flash, I believe we should," Macavity looked at a wall on his room and meditated on the scenario. "We just need to send the tribe a little 'message.'"

Finally, he asked aloud with his back turned to everyone else "What time does the Night Mail leave tonight?"

"The same time it always does: Midnight," Flash answered.

"Good," Macavity turned back to his henchcats. He told them "As some of you may already know, Rumpleteazer's father - Skimbleshanks - has a job on board the Night Mail. He operates on the midnight shift."

Macavity turned to Sharpie and told her "Sharpie, tonight I want you to go to the train station and get on board the Night Mail just before it leaves. After it leaves, I want you to find Skimbleshanks and attack him."

"But Mac, what if he's not there tonight?" inquired Sharpie.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Macavity assured her, "Skimbleshanks has become very important in the midnight shift on the Night Mail. In fact, it's rumored that the train will not leave without him."

"Alright, then," said Sharpie, "But when you say 'attack,' do you want me to wound him or kill him?"

Macavity grinned wickedly and said "Do whichever one you prefer."

Sharpie smiled and told her boss "It will be done."

Back at the junkyard, Rum Tum Tugger and Rumpleteazer had introduced Mungojerrie to almost everyone.

As they went back to the clearing after introducing Mungo to Asparagus and Gus the Theatre Cat, Rumpleteazer said "The on'ly one lef't ta meet is Cassan'dra."

"I wonder where she is," said Tugger.

Just then, Alonzo came into the clearing. He started making his way over to the two calico cats and the cat with the mane.

On the way, Victoria and Jemima went over to Alonzo. He stopped for a moment to speak with the two. To Mungojerrie, it appeared that he was flirting with them.

After Victoria and Jemima left, Alonzo went over to Mungojerrie. He told him "Mungojerrie, there's something I would like to discuss with you."

"Shure th'ing, 'Lonzo," said Mungo.

"Everybody here pulls their own weight in some way," Alonzo said to Mungojerrie, "For example, at night, some of the toms take patrol duty. A lot of the time, Munkustrap and I are the ones who handle that, but I was wondering if you would care to take patrol duty for tonight?"

"Su're," Mungo said smiling, "I'd be gl'ad ta ta'ke the night pat'rol."

"Good," said Alonzo, "Report back here at nine o'clock. Munkustrap and I will give you instructions on certain details, such as the specific areas to patrol and how long to patrol them."

Mungojerrie nodded. Just then, he heard a voice say behind him, "Oh, Alonnnnnzzzoooo..."

Mungo, Rumple, and Tugger turned around. They saw a cream and brown Abyssinian queen lying on her side on top of the TSE-1. Her coat was smooth, and she had a deep voice.

Alonzo became aroused at the sight of the queen. He purred and said "Now, if you'll excuse me."

He made his way over to the Abyssinian queen and laid next to her on top of the car.

"That's Cassandra," Tugger whispered to Mungo.

"S'he seems rathe' myste'ious," Mungo noted.

"No kiddin'," chuckled Rumple.

"I ta'ke it s'he's Alonzo's mate?" Mungo assumed.

"Actu'ally, I'm not s'ure 'bout th'at," said Rumple.

"I mus' s'ay, I've neve' seen Alonzo like th'at," Mungo stated.

"A're you jokin'?" asked Rumple, "Alonzo m'ay se'em all ser'ious and wat'chful, but he's rea'lly the mos't flir'tatious membe' of the tr'ibe."

"She's right," said Tugger, "In fact, sometimes, the guy almost makes ME look like a prude."

Mungo scoffed. "I do'n't think it w'ill be 'ard fo' meh to get al'ong with 'im."

"Th'at's good," said Rumple.

Several hours later, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were in the clearing, swaping jokes with Quaxo, Skimbleshanks, and Jennyanydots. Demeter, Tum Tum Tugger, Munkustrap, and Bombalurina were with them.

"I know how to get rid of Macavity," said Skimbleshanks.

"Really?" said Munkustrap. "How?"

"Just use Mactoothpaste!" Skimbleshanks answered.

Everyone laughed at the joke, except Munkustrap. He actually did think the joke was somewhat funny, but he was just there to supervise the kittens and present himself as the mature Jellicle Protector.

Munkustrap looked over at Mungojerrie and said "By the way, Mungo, we still need to decide where you should sleep. Is there any particular place you'd like?"

At that, Rumpleteazer, who was sitting behind Mungojerrie at that time, placed her front paws on his shoulders and said sensually "Oh, I'll be't I c'an think o'f some'where."

Most of the others chuckled at Rumple's comment. Only Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots did not chuckle.

"Forget it, Teazer," said Jenny protectively, "No daughter of ours is going to move out of our den and into a grown tom's den before she's come of age."

"Moommm..." Rumple groaned, "Y'ou're emba'rassing meh."

Mungo looked back at Munkustrap and said "I rathe' like that den I sle'pt in las' night. Do you sup'pose I could ta'ke th'at one?"

"If that is what you want, then it's yours," Munkustrap agreed.

"Exce'llent," said Mungo.

Finally, Mungojerrie looked over at Demeter and said "Demete', do you sup'pose ya cou'd tell meh abou' your 'istory with Macavity now? I simpl'ee wish to know."

Demeter looked very nervous once again. Mungojerrie was confused by her reaction to even the mention of Macavity's name.

"Just what exactly did Macavity tell you about his history with me?" inquired Demeter.

"Well, 'e did te'll us that the two of ya were inte'rested in each othe'," said Mac, "Then one day, some'body raped ya, and 'e was blamed for it. At least, we ass'ume th'at's w'hy 'e was kicked out o'f the tr'ibe."

Everyone looked at Mungojerrie.

"Macavity told you he was kicked out of the tribe?" asked Munkustrap.

"Yes, 'e d'id," said Mungo.

"He wasn't thrown out," said Bombalurina, "He left the tribe."

"What?" said Mungo.

"'e mus' 'ave lied to you," said Rumple.

"Te'll me eve'rythin' abou' 'im," Mungo requested, "I want to know 'is act'ual 'istory."

(Note: The following is basically a synopsis of my fanfic "Hidden Truths of the Hidden Paw," but you don't have to read that fanfic to understand the gist of it.)

The adult cats and Rumpleteazer told Mungojerrie everything regarding Macavity's past in the Jellicle Tribe. He had discovered at a young age that he was a magical cat. His father had taught him how to control his powers and how to take advantage of them. He had had a mate named Clemitanie, and the two of them had two kittens together. He had been a kind, loving, and caring parent and mate. He was one of the friendliest cats the Tribe had ever seen.

But all that changed one day...

Clemitanie had been severely weakened by Quaxo's birth. She had gone for a walk around the city to regain her strength. But on that walk, she was attacked by a group of ten Pollicle dogs. Macavity had managed to rescue her, but by then, the damage had been done. Less than an hour later, Clemitanie had died.

Over the next few days, Macavity isolated himself from the entire tribe, and all of a sudden, he was blaming Quaxo for Clemitanie's death! When Macavity confronted Quaxo, he tried to kill him. But Alonzo stopped him just in time. Munkustrap and Alonzo managed to chase him away.

Weeks later, the tribe had discovered Macavity's new plan to kill all the dogs in the group that had attacked Clemitanie. Several members of the tribe had gone out to locate Macavity before he could finish this vendetta. But by then, he had already killed nine of the ten dogs.

Somehow, Demeter had gotten separated from everyone else, and the leader of the group of dogs had cornered her in an alley. But Macavity arrived just in time to save her. He killed the dog with his claws. By then, he had completely changed.

He had told Demeter that he had never realized just how beautiful she was. He tried to rape her, but Munkustrap, Alonzo, and a few others arrived just in time.

Yet somehow, through that terrible experience, Demeter could sense Macavity's presence whenever he was near.

Once they were finished with the story, Mungojerrie looked around in amazement and said "I can't bel'ieve I act'ually believed Mac's sto'ry. I fe'el like a'n idi'ot."

"It's not your fault, Mungo," said Bombalurina, "You knew almost nothing about Macavity when you first met him. You only knew him for his reputation."

"Yeah, b'ut st'ill," said Mungo, "I shou'dn't 'ave been so gull'ible."

That night at around 11:30, Skimbleshanks left early for his shift on the Night Mail. He arrived at the train station at 11:35, organized the cargo in the luggage van, and went to the rear of the train.

Unbeknownst to Skimble, a red and orange cluster of fur descended from the arches of the station ceiling and silently landed on top of the train. It was Sharpie. She made her way to a door on the roof, opened it, and crawled in.

At twelve o-clock sharp, the train depared from the station. Sharpie was hiding in the back, talking to her claws. She said to them "Don't fail me now, my lovelies."

Back at the junkyard, Mungojerrie was on patrol duty at the entrance to the junkyard. He kept his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

He heard a sound coming from behind him. He jerked around and said "W'ho's th'ere?"

But he eased down when he realized it was Rumpleteazer.

"Rumple, wh'at a're ya doin' 'ere?" he asked.

"I wan'ted to t'alk to ya," she responded.

"Abou' wh'at?" he asked.

"W'ell, as you kn'ow, I am still a kit'ten," she said, "But I'll b'e comin' of age in six we'eks. Th'en I can move out of mah par'ents den."

"Wh'at's you'r point?" he asked.

"W'ell, Mungo, I w'ant to get to know ya ove' the next six weeks," she told him, "An' vice ve'rsa. Maybe th'en, mah pa'rents will ag'ree to let us sh'are a den togethe'."

Mungojerrie could tell that Rumpleteazer had her heart set on him. Truthfully, even though they had just met, he would have had his heart set on her, too, but she was still too young.

Neither of them had ever had a love interest in their lives, but they felt as if they were made for each other. After all, their coats had the same pattern, they spoke with the same accent, and they possessed similar interests.

"I'll th'ink 'bout it," Mungo told her, "But until th'en, let's jus' be fr'iends."

Back on the Night Mail, Sharpie was stealthily making her way through the corridors. Skimbleshanks was posted near the front of the train, and she was determined to find him.

A few minutes later, she spotted the orange cat. He was helping himself to a cup to a tea.

Sharpie started to approach Skimble from behind.

Skimbleshanks stirred his tea with a silver spoon. When he was finished stirring, he held the spoon up in the air. He was about to take a sip, but something caught his eye.

He looked directly at the concave part of the spoon. In its reflection, he saw an orange and red cat standing just a foot and a-half behind him. She had her claws bared, and she was raising them over her head.

Skimble whipped around and flung the contents of his tea cup onto Sharpie. Sharpie screeched in pain as the boiling hot liquid came in contact with her face and body.

Skimbleshanks knocked her onto her back and pinned her down.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." she sneered.

She shoved the Railway Cat off of her and got up. Skimbleshanks followed her through the train cars.

Finally, Sharpie spotted the place she had entered the train. She started making her way up the ladder. She looked down at Skimbleshanks and said "Catch me if you can!"

Skimble angrily muttered "Have it your way" under his breath, climbed up the ladder and went onto the roof of the train. But when he got on top, Sharpie was nowhere in sight.

Skimble looked around, keeping his eyes open for anything.

Just then, Sharpie came out of nowhere and lunged at him.

The two of them fought viciously on that one train car. Both of them delivered and dodged fierce blows. They rolled on the roof of the train as they fought until they came dangerously close to the ledge.

Finally, the two of them fell over the front and landed on the platform that connected the train cars. Both of them landed on their feet and faced each other off again.

Sharpie lunged at Skimble again and forced him onto the ground. She sat on him and positioned him over the platform. She tried to make him fall over the side, but he was very strong.

Sharpie bared her claws again, raised them in the air, and said "This one's for my mate."

Skimble moved his head away just in time and thrust his back legs upward. Sharpie fell over the side of the platform. A moment later a sickening *CRUNCH* was heard under the train, and Sharpie was no more.

Skimble breathed in deeply and got back onto his feet. He just stared at the place where Sharpie had fallen. There was blood and fur around the wheels.

All Skimble could say was "This is not a good sign."

Note: Skimbleshanks is both my favorite cat and my favorite song from the musical.


	10. The Reputation Begins

Note: Today's my birthday! Yes, that's right, my birthday is on St. Valentine's Day. But I'm sure none of you really care. I actually don't even know why I'm saying- er, typing- this. I guess I just wanted to get it out. Oh, well; that's life!

The next morning at six o'clock, Skimbleshanks still had not returned to the Junkyard. Even though he was usually home hours before then, most of the cats were not concerned about this, as Skimble's return times were erratic.

Finally, the Railway Cat returned at six-thirty. He had several bruises around his body, as well as a few open wounds.

At the sight of her wounded mate, Jennyanydots immediately approached him and asked him incessantly if he was alright. Even though Skimble repeatedly told her he was fine, she did not believe him.

While the Gumbie Cat healed her mate's injuries with the aid of Jellylorum and Quaxo, Skimbleshanks enlightened the other Jellicles on what had happened on the Night Mail.

When he explained "I was about to drink my tea when something caught my eye. There was a queen coming up behind me. She had her claws bared, and she had them raised. Just before she struck, I spun around and flung the contents of my teacup onto her, momentarily distracting her-"

"Wa'it, Skimble," Mungojerrie politely interrupted. Mungo had just been listening to Skimble this entire time. But an almost random theory popped into his head. He asked the Railway Cat "Wh'ot did t'is qu'een loo'k like?"

"Well, her coat was composed entirely of red and orange," Skimble recalled as best he could, "She also had a very cold countenance. She was somewhat taller than the average queen her age, and she had claws that looked like-"

"Th'ey cou'd pier'ce ca'dboa'rd?" Mungo finished for him.

"Yes, exactly," said Skimble.

Mungojerrie looked at him and said "I alr'eady know t'e cat th'at attacked ya; s'he is known as 'Sharpie.'"

Everyone looked at him in amazement. "How'd you know that?" inquired Alonzo.

"Sha'pie's one of Macavity's top g'oons," Mungo explained, "She dist'inguished 'erself th'rough t'he use of 'er claws. S'he cou'd ev'en slice th'rou a ve'ry thin pape'back book."

"Sounds like one unpleasant person," said Munkustrap.

"S'he is," Mungojerrie turned back to Skimbleshanks and asked him to continue his recounting of the incident on the train.

Skimble went on, but he became a little uneasy when he got to the part where he threw Sharpie off the train. Truthfully, he had no intention of killing her originally, but she had left him no choice.

The rest of the tribe understood this, but Skimble still didn't like the idea of killing, even if it was just one of Macavity's thugs.

When Skimble was finished, Mungojerrie sighed and said "I kn'ew Mac wou'dn't let t'his matte' go so ea'sily. Now th'at 'e's ta'geting memb'ers of t'he Tribe, th'ere's no tellin' wh'at will 'appen next."

"What would you suggest we do?" inquired Munkustrap.

"Ah wou'd sugges' th'at ever'ybody jus; stay on thei' gua'd," said Mungojerrie. "Skimble m'ay 'ave simp'ly been luck'y enough to spot Sha'pie's weakness. We sh'ou'dn't abu'se our luck."

"I would take that sage advice any day," said Munkustrap. He turned to everyone else and said "To ensure everyone's safety, I want to lay down a few constraints. From now on, unless instructed, no one goes more than five miles away from the Junkyard. Whenever you do leave the Junkyard, always take someone with you. Curfew for the kittens is now strictly ten o'clock. I want the rest of the adult cats who are not on patrol duty to turn in for the night at midnight. If you need to stay up later than that to attend to an important matter than cannot be delayed, you must notify both me and Alonzo first. The only ones officially exempt from the curfew are him, Skimble, Jenny, and me."

"But Munk, the Night Mail goes much farther than five miles away from London, let alone the Junkyard," Skimbleshanks interjected.

"Skimble, don't tell me you're actually going back to the train after what happened," said Jennyanydots.

"I have to, Jenny," Skimble argued, "One may be highly inclined to believe everyone at the station is only joking when they say that the Night Mail cannot depart if I'm not there, but based on what I've witnessed, they seem remarkably serious."

Jennyanydots could not help but smile at her mate's dedication to his job. Then again, she was just as devout to her personal directive of taming the rodents of the Junkyard. For the first few weeks of this activity, most of the rodents were giving her a hard time. But after that, the grand majority paid attention to Jenny and became rather mild-mannered and useful.

"Alright, Skimble," said Munkustrap, "I'll exempt you from the rule that requires everyone to stay within five miles of the Junkyard. But I still cannot exempt you from the one that prevents anyone from leaving the Junkyard unaccompanied by another."

"That seems reasonable enough," said Skimbleshanks, "As long as whoever comes with me does not bother the train's passengers or crew, or me for that matter."

"Any volunteers to accompany Skimble tonight?" Munkustrap asked and looked around at the others.

No one raised their paw at first. Then Mungojerrie offered to accompany Skimble. But Munkustrap refused his offer, telling him "If Macavity himself comes around, we'll need you here to predict his movements."

In the end, Exotica agreed to go with Skimbleshanks that night.

Once all of Skimble's injuries had been healed, everyone went back to their normally routines.

An hour later, Mungojerrie planned to get himself something for lunch. But what he was hungry for was not available at that time in the Junkyard. So he decided to go look for it in the city. But before he left, he went to look for someone to accompany him.

As he predicted, Rumpleteazer was the first to volunteer to go with him. He gladly accepted her offer.

The two of them left the Junkyard and headed into the city, but they made sure to avoid getting within four blocks of Macavity's hideout.

Speaking of which, things were not looking so great at the warehouse. When Macavity learned the news of Sharpie's death, he became full of intense anger. All of his henchcats quickly made sure they were not within thirty feet of him for the next few hours. This was a wise decision, as they all knew that when Macavity got angry, he usually became violent, too.

When he cooled down, Flash, Silent Danger, and a few other henchcats went to speak with Macavity. Flash asked his boss "What should we do now, boss? Should we send another person out to attack a different person of the Jellicle Tribe?"

Macavity sat with his brow deeply-lined in thought for a short time. Finally, he answered "No, I do not want to risk another person's life. We've already lost three of our group. At this rate, there will only be a handful of us left in a week or two."

"Evidently, the Jellicle cats are stronger than you first led us to believe," stated Kotene.

"Yes, that is true," Macavity admitted, "But no one other than the Pollicles has ever messed with them before. And as far as I know, I'm the only member of the tribe that ever dared to face a Pollicle in combat."

There came a brief interval of silence. Then Flash asked "What must we do next, Mac?"

Macavity stood thinking for a short time, and then he said "I want you to send out sentinels near the Jellicle Junkyard. I want to monitor them over the course of the next few weeks."

Macavity fully intended to go through with his plan to kidnap Demeter at the next Jellicle Ball, but he did not tell anyone this just yet. It had been a while since he had last seen the main clearing in the Jellicle Tribe, and he wanted to study the area closely to determine the best way to carry out his plan.

A few blocks away, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were talking down a street. They were side-by-side, and they were both walking on all four legs.

"So, wh'ere ar'e we goin'?" she asked.

"Y'ou'll seeh," he replied.

She looked up at him as they walked and grinned at him. Mungo looked back at Rumple out of the corner of his eye and smiled back.

There was no doubt in Mungojerrie's mind that Rumpleteazer was in love with him. However, Mungo just assumed it was platonic love, or premature love. After all, Rumpleteazer may have been the oldest kitten in the Jellicle Tribe, but she was still just a kitten. Mungo assumed that Rumple was merely in love with him because he saved her life, and that soon she would get over this attraction to him. But at the same time, Mungo actually found himself becoming more attracted to Rumple with every passing moment they spent together.

Even though it had only been a day and a-half since they first met, they had already learned much about each other.

The two of them talked on until they reached a hot dog stand. There was a single man managing the stand there.

When the two calicos were thirty feet away from the stand, Mungo pulled Rumple to the side and said to her "You'r pa'rents tell meh th'at you poss'ess a ce'tain talent fo'r swipin' things wh'en people a'ren't looking."

"Ye's, ye's, Ah do," Rumple admitted proudly.

"Well, a talent li'ke th'at shou'dn't be wasted," said Mungo, "So let's p'ut it ta use."

He pointed to the hot dog stand and explained his plan: "Ah'll w'alk up ta th'at man and rub up ag'ainst 'is feet. Wh'ile I've got 'is att'ention, I want ya to swipe two 'ot dogs an' two b'uns from t'he stand."

"A're ya su're I'll 'ave en'ough time?" she asked.

"Don't wo'rry 'bout th'at," he assured her, "I kn'ow th'is guy; he likes meh. As lo'ng as he doesn't 'ave a custome' at the st'and, 'is att'ention will be focused on meh for at lea'st a good minute."

"Alr'ight," said Rumple, "Th'at sounds li'ke plen'ty of time."

Mungojerrie grinned and said "Go'od. Let's do it."

The two of them waited until the man at the hot dog stand had no customers around. Then Mungo casually sauntered over to the stand. He sweetly rubbed his back against the seller's feet. The man looked down at Mungo and smiled at him.

"Hey, it's you again," the man grinned as he kneeled down to pet Mungo on his head.

Mungojerrie purred and looked up kindly at the man. Just before that, he used his eyes to give Rumpleteazer the signal to move in.

She quietly walked over to the hot dog stand and gracefully hopped onto the top shelf. After checking to make sure no one was looking, she opened up the heater and removed two of the hot dogs that were already fully cooked. Then she closed the heater and went to the bag of buns. She quickly but quietly removed two of them from the bag. All the while, the hog dog man's attention was focused on Mungojerrie.

Shortly after Rumpleteazer got what they came for, the man patted Mungojerrie one last time and said "Run along now, Stripes. I'm likely to have more customers soon."

Mungojerrie had the urge to nod, but he decided not to do so. Most humans were unaware that cats could understand them, and a lot of cats used that to their advantage.

Mungo met up with Rumple in the nearest alleyway. She had already assembled the hot dogs with the buns.

"Ve'ry good pe'for'mance," she admitted to him, "I cou'dn't 'ave played inno'cent any betteh if I tr'ied."

"Th'anks," said Mungo. Then the two of them ate.

While they ate, Rumple said "We shou'd do th'is ag'ain some'time."

Mungo smirked at her and said "Rumple, if ya st'ick with meh, you an' I will go pl'aces."


	11. Mates

Neither Macavity nor any of his henchcats gave them any trouble at all during that time.

After ten days without seeing either hide or hair of Macavity, Mungojerrie started to feel a little more at ease. He had realized just how much potential Rumpleteazer had in her ability to steal things when people were not looking. However, she was still an amateur. Mungo had made it his personal goal to teach her everything he knew about the subject. In a sense, he made her his protégé.

In just a few more weeks' time, Rumple had just about become Mungo's equivalent at kleptomania. This made Mungo proud of both himself and Rumple.

The two of them started hanging around the city a lot more often, going from place to place and robbing unfortunate pedestrians. Three of their favorite places to commit this type of act were Cornwall Gardens, Launceston Place, and Kensington Square.

Over the course of that time, Mungo and Rumple had been taken in by a human family. While the two cats did like the members of this family a great deal, even the family was not free from their thievery. If anything, they became one of their primary targets. This greatly annoyed their owners, but somehow, the humans couldn't bring themselves to punish or throw out the two calicos. Neither Mungo nor Rumple knew why, but they ultimately came to the conclusion that their owners were simply hardcore cat-lovers.

The rest of the Jellicle Tribe soon learned about Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's kleptomania, but most of the other members of the tribe did not disapprove of this. Mungo and Rumple frequently shared their loot with the tribe, and a lot of them – such as the kittens and young adult cats – were somewhat grateful.

The only members of the Tribe that did not approve of their stealing habit were Alonzo, Munkustrap, Jennyanydots, Skimbleshanks, and Jellylorum.

However, Munkustrap changed his mind after one particular event had taken place.

Electra had fallen sick, and no medicine or healing in the Jellicle Tribe could remedy her illness. Her parents had done everything for her, but she kept getting weaker with each passing day.

Once Jellylorum and Jennyanydots had determined what illness Electra was suffering from, several members of the tribe started doing some research to find a way to cure the illness.

Three days later, they had discovered that Electra's illness could be cured with a simple pet medication. Several members of the Jellicle Tribe – including Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer – had owners outside the tribe, but none of them possessed the medication. However, the medication was found in human drug stores all over the city.

It was no problem at all for a human to go into one of these stores and buy this medication. But unfortunately, with cats it was a whole different story. A scenario where a cat just walked into a store and bought something was unheard of in London. In fact, several of the drug stores in town had a strict "No pets allowed" policy. But that would not stop Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They vowed that they would acquire that medicine for Electra.

One Saturday morning, the two calicos made their way through the streets of London. Soon, they came across a drug store that did not have a "no pets allowed" sign on the front. They waited for a human to enter, and then they went inside. They could have entered on their own, but they figured that they would look more casual if they entered with a human.

Once inside, the two of them gazed through all of the aisles, but the pet meds were not on any of them. Then Mungo remembered – pet meds were kept behind the clerk's counter in a typical drug store.

"Ok'ay, 'ere's the plan," he said to Rumpleteazer, "Ah'll go 'round and nu'zzle up to t'e cle'rk's legs. While s'he's dist'racted, you go and get t'he medicine."

"No, I got ta do th'e swipin' las' time," said Rumple, "'ow a'bout I do th'e nuzzlin' and you do t'he swiping?"

Mungo smiled down at her and said "Ok'ay. Th'at seems rea'sonable."

The two of them hid behind a trash can and waited until there were no customers at the front desk. Then Rumple walked over to the front desk, stepped behind it, and rubbed her back against the clerk's feet. The clerk looked down and smiled at the calico queen.

"Hello, there," she said, "I reckon you'd like a little treat?"

Going along with the clerk's notion, Rumpleteazer nodded eagerly up at her. Still smiling, the clerk said "Come with me" and led Rumple over to a cabinet.

While the clerk had her back turned, Rumple turned to Mungo and gave him a nod.

Mungojerrie quickly made his way across the room, but he was stopped by a young child around the age of six.

The child kneeled next to Mungo and called to his mother "Look, mom, a cat!" while he stroked Mungo behind the ears.

A tall woman standing in a nearby aisle grinned at her child and said "That's nice, sweetie."

"Are you lost?" the child asked Mungo.

Mungo shook his head, grinning nervously. His eyes drifted back and forth from the child to the clerk. He thought _Come on, kid. I don't have all day_.

Finally, the woman called her son over. The boy patted Mungo on the head and said "Bye-bye."

Mungojerrie looked back over to the counter. To his relief, the clerk was still preoccupied with getting a treat for Rumpleteazer.

Mungo casually sauntered over to behind the counter and browsed through the pet medication section. After about twenty seconds of searching, he found the one they needed for Electra.

Just then, the clerk extracted a bag of cat treats from the cabinet and closed it.

Mungo quickly hid the medicine under his stomach.

The clerk looked back at Rumple, and she saw Mungo standing a few feet away from her.

The clerk kneeled next to Rumple, and, smiling at her, asked "Who's this? Your brother?"

Both Mungo and Rumple suppressed the desire to roll their eyes. Rumple just shook her head up at the clerk.

"So, I'm guessing he's your boyfriend?" assumed the clerk.

Rumpleteazer slowly nodded to the clerk. To make it look more convincing, she turned toward Mungo and walked toward him. Then she rubbed the back of her throat against the front of his neck and purred affectionately.

_Wow, Mungo has really soft fur_. she thought to herself. Mungo was thinking just the same thing about Rumple. In fact, he found that he was enjoying himself.

The clerk kept that same monotone smile as she gave both of the cats a treat. Then she said "Run along now. I've got customers to help."

Mungo and Rumple casually walked out of the drug store with a treat in their mouths, and a bottle of cat medicine under the former's stomach.

"Gr'eat pe'form'ance in th'ere," Mungo smiled at Rumple.

"Sa'me ta you," she returned the compliment.

The two of them did not speak much as they returned home to the junkyard. They were mostly thinking about what the clerk had said and that sensual moment the two of them had shared. There was no denying that the two of them had gotten much closer over the past few weeks, but that was their first real intimate moment.

When they got home, they presented Munkustrap with the medicine. His very first question to them was "Where did you get this?"

"A dr'ug sto'e 'bout a mile a'way," Rumple answered.

"_How _did you get this?" asked Munk.

"Well, uh..." Mungo began nervously.

"You stole it, didn't you?" said Munk.

"Ye's, we d'id," said Mungo nonchalantly.

Munk gave an angry sigh and said "Okay, Mungo. I didn't mind this whole stealing business too much in the beginning. But if you start stealing from drug stores-"

"Munk, fo'give this inte'ruption, but I th'ink I sh'ould ask you somethin," Mungo cut in, "Wh'at's mo're impo'tant to you- you'r code of prope'ty rights, or you'r dau'ter's life?"

Munkustrap stopped reprimanding Mungojerrie. When Munk saw the matter from Mungo's perspective, he realized he did have a point.

"If ya wa'nt, I can ta'ke the medi'cine ba'ck to the d'rug sto'e," said Mungo, "O'r you c'an use it ta cu're Electra's ill'ness. It's you'r choice."

After just twenty seconds of deliberation, Munkustrap turned around and went to his den. There, Demeter was at the side of Electra's bed. Electra gave a violent cough and moaned in pain.

Demeter looked absolutely worried for her daughter. But she found her hope rekindling when she saw her mate enter with the medication.

After reading the label on the side quickly but thoroughly, they carefully unscrewed the lid, poured some of the liquid medicine into the cap, and turned to their daughter. Demeter helped Electra open her mouth while Munkustrap slowly poured the serving of medicine into her mouth. Electra managed to swallow without their help, and they gave her a drink of water to wash the medicine down.

The medicine had no immediate effect, but after thirty minutes, Electra stopped coughing. Her head started clearing up, and before long, she was back on her feet.

The next day, she was totally back to normal. The other kittens were very happy to have her back outside playing with them.

Munkustrap and Demeter watched their daughter play with her friends. The two of them were so happy to see her healthy and active once again.

That evening, the two of them took the time to personally thank Mungojerrie for this favor. Munkustrap had even told him "Mungo, despite my skeptical view of you in the past, I just want you to know that because of what you've done... you now have my trust."

Mungo grinned and said "I w'as jus' help'in out my famil'ee."

A few days later, it was the night before Rumpleteazer came of age. Once she came of age, she was allowed to choose a mate.

(You know where this is going...)

That same night, Mungo requested a meeting with Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots. The meeting was brief, but its purpose was direct.

Mungo nervously said to the Gumbie Cat and the Railway Cat "Skimble... Jenny... wou'd, eh... wo'uld you mi'nd if... um... w'ould yo-"

"Would we what, Mungo?" inquired Skimble.

Mungojerrie stopped stuttering. Then he got a bit bolder and, looking the two of them directly in the eye, asked them "Wou'ld you mi'nd if Rump'leteaze' chose meh as 'er mate tomo'row?"

He anxiously waited for their answer. The two adult cats just looked at each other and smirked. Then they looked back at Mungo and told him "We don't mind at all."

Mungo was surprised. "Rea'lly?" he asked excitedly.

"You've certainly proven your worth, as far as we can see," Jenny pointed out.

"She told us you are no longer loyal to Macavity," said Skimble, "And long ago we concluded that she was correct."

"I just knew the two of you would end up together," said Jenny.

"She HOPED you would," Skimble whispered into Mungojerrie's ear.

Jenny shot her mate a stern glare as Mungo headed back into the clearing of the junkyard. As he went to look for Rumpleteazer, he thought to himself _You've done good, Jerrie. You've done real good_.

The next day, Mungo and Rumple stood before Old Deuteronomy. He was uttering an archaic incantation under his breath, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. The incantation was the traditional one spoken whenever two members of the tribe became mated. Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots, and almost everybody else in the Jellicle Tribe was assembled in the clearing.

Mungo and Rumple could not stop looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes. The two of them contained their excitement as best as they could.

Finally, after twenty minutes- which felt more like twenty months to them- Old Deuteronomy ceased the incantation. He looked down at the two calicos and told them "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, by the power invested in me by the Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity, I now pronounce you as mates. Congratulations to both of you."

Rumple almost immediately jumped into Mungo's arms. He caught her and the two of them shared a passionate kiss as everyone around them errupted in applause.

That night, Rumpleteazer moved out of her parents' den and moved into Mungojerrie's den. Skimble and Jenny were sad to have their daughter move out, but all the same, they were happy that she was happy.

After moving all of Rumpleteazer's personal possessions from her parents' den to Mungojerrie's den, she and Mungo lay down on the bed. After getting comfortably settled, they turned to face each other while lying down.

Their eyes were connected for a few moments. In those few moments, Mungo fully realized that Rumple was no longer a kitten; she was now a queen.

Mungo gently stroked Rumple's cheek and asked her "Are ya re'ady fo'r this?"

"Re'ady as I'll eve'r be," she responded.

Mungo grabbed onto Rumple underneath her arms and pulled her closer. She positioned herself on top of his chest and the two of them started nuzzling closely with each other. They licked each other on the cheeks and they gently stroked each other on various parts of their bodies with their front paws.

The two of them started breathing in deeply as they got more and more intimate. Finally, the peak moment of the action came about. Waves of pleasure and ecstasy overcame the two calico cats.

In the end, the two of them were entangled in each other's arms, sighing in contentment.

All Rumple could say was "Wow..." as Mungo kept that same smile on his face.

Even though this was a warm, romantic evening for Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, several blocks away, it was a different story.

Back at Macavity's hideout, the Mystery Cat had finally decided to risk sending out another attacker. But this time, he would not be sending only one cat. This time, he was sending three.

He decided to send out Flash, Kotene, and Silent Danger.

"How should we attack them this time, Mac?" Flash asked his boss.

"Should we directly attack them at the junkyard?" asked Kotene.

"No, I have another plan," said Macavity. "But in order to ensure its success, I'm going to need all three of you to listen very closely."

The three henchcats paid very close attention to their boss's instructions, taking notes and formulating strategies along the way. Once everything about the plan was all planned out, the three of them decided to carry it out the next day.


	12. The Ironic Grudge

The next morning, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer woke up in each other's arms. They smiled at each other and kissed on the lips.

"So, 'ow do'es it fe'el ta be an ad'ult now?" Mungo asked his new mate.

"It fe'els…" she paused for a moment, and then she answered "It fe'ls li'ke last night: Wa'rm, reassu'ring, exh'ilar'ating, and pr'ofoundly enj'oyable."

"I'm gl'ad ya like adu'lthood," said Mungo, "Now, 'ow a'bout I ma'ke some break'fast?"

"You don't m'ind?" she asked.

"No, of cou'se not," he stood up and went to the door, "You jus' relax. I'll be ri'ght back."

Rumple smiled at her new mate as he left to get them something to eat. She stretched herself out on the bed and hummed a tune to herself.

Outside, Mungo walked across the clearing to the Tribe's massive storage room. He left with some cold ham, some biscuits, and a pitcher of cold milk. He got back to the den and placed everything on a makeshift table.

"Oops, fo'got the jam," he said aloud as Rumple went over to the table.

He went back outside. On his way back to the storage room, he was hindered by Cassandra. She was carrying a shoebox wrapped in a blue ribbon.

"Mo'rnin', Cassa'ndra," Mungo greeted the Abyssian female.

"Good morning, Mungojerrie," she responded.

"C'an I 'elp you with any'thin?" he asked.

"Well…" she said, holding out the shoebox "My sister Exotica meant to give you and Rumpleteazer this last night to convey her congratulations, but she didn't have the time."

"Th'at's nice of 'er," Mungo grinned as he took the present from Cassandra, "Cou'd you tell 'er I said th'anks?"

"If I see her, I will," said Cassandra, "Though, it's not easy to find her. She only comes outside for some of the day and her coat helps her blend in with the shadows at night."

"Is s'he shy?" asked Mungo, "Or is she jus' recl'usive?"

"I'm not sure," said Cassandra, "But I do know that she is a very private person."

"I c'an unde'stand th'at," said Mungo. "We all 'ave some sec'rets th'at we like ta keep to ou'selves."

"What kind of secrets do you have?" she asked.

"Well, Ah would rathe' not say," said Mungo, "But th'ere wer'e things I did wh'en I worked for Mac'avity th'at I'm not pro'ud of."

"I assume that when you did most of these things, you were 'just following orders?'" she asked.

"Yes, th'at would ap'ply to all but one of 'em," Mungo nodded, "The on'ly one I did on mah own acc'ord was somethin I reg'ret eve'ry day."

"I assume you do not wish to talk about it?" said Cassandra.

"Cor'rect," said Mungo.

Right then, Alonzo came into the clearing. He had been humming a tune to himself as he entered the vicinity, but when he caught sight of the entrance to Mungojerrie's den, he abruptly stopped humming. From where he was standing, Mungojerrie appeared to be giving a present to Cassandra.

"Hey!" he shouted at the two of them.

Cassandra and Mungojerrie turned to him. He stormed over to them with a furious look over his face.

"Are you flirting with my mate, Mungojerrie?" Alonzo demanded.

Mungo scoffed and said "No, of cou'se not, 'Lonzo. Wh'at wou'd make ya th'ink th'at?"

"Then why are you giving her a gift?" Alonzo shouted, continuing to approach the two of them.

Cassandra and Mungojerrie looked at each other in confusion. But realization soon came to them.

"This certainly is ironic," Cassandra noted.

"No kiddin'," Mungo turned back to Alonzo and said "'Lonzo, Cassa'ndra gave MEH th'is gift. It's not even fr'om 'er; it's from Exotica."

By then Alonzo had reached the two of them. He stood before them with his front legs folded and yelled at Mungo "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

Mungo raised an eyebrow and said "Alonzo, is eve'rythin' alr'ight?"

"It won't be in a moment, you two-timer!" Alonzo lunged at Mungo and knocked him to the ground. But Mungojerrie fought back against the black and white cat.

"Alonzo, stop!" shouted Cassandra from the side, "All this can be explained…"

"There's nothing to explain!" shouted Alonzo.

"Damnit, Alonzo," shouted Mungo as he defended himself from Alonzo's blows, "W'hy a're you so thick-'eaded th'is mo'rning? Do I 'ave to be'at some sen'se into ya?"

The two of them continued to fight for thirty seconds until Cassandra went to get Munkustrap. The Jellicle Protector quickly intervened and ended the struggle.

"Break it up!" he yelled at them, grabbed Alonzo with his right paw and Mungojerrie with his left paw "Break it up!"

Alonzo and Mungojerrie glared at each other as Munkustrap made them stand apart. Looking back and forth at the two of them, Munk demanded "Enough! What do you two think you are doing- fighting like a pair of untamed Pollicles?"

"Just a little thing I thought we needed to clear up," Alonzo responded, smirking mockingly at Mungojerrie.

"Who started the fight?" Munkustrap asked them. Neither Alonzo nor Mungojerrie answered him. Mungo could only stare at the ground. After ten seconds of silence, Munk repeated the question "Who started the fight?"

Still staring at the ground, Mungo sheepishly answered "I… I did, Munk."

Munkustrap looked straight at Mungojerrie. He told him "Mungo, look at me."

Mungojerrie slowly looked up into Munkustrap's angry but calm eyes. Munk told him "Mungo, how did this happen? Why did you start a fight?"

"He didn't," said a voice a few feet away.

The three toms and Cassandra turned to see Quaxo sitting on top of the old oven.

"What do you mean, Quaxo?" asked Munkustrap.

"Mungojerrie wasn't the one who started the fight, Uncle Munk," Quaxo clarified, "Alonzo threw the first blow."

Munkustrap was taken by surprise. He could understand it if Mungojerrie started the fight, but Alonzo? His right-hand man? Surely not!

"Are you sure of that, Quaxo?" inquired Munkustrap.

"Absolutely," said the tuxedo tom, "I saw the whole thing myself."

Munkustrap turned to Alonzo, who was no longer smirking, and asked "Is this true, Alonzo?"

It was Alonzo's turn to stare nervously at the ground. But he soon answered "Yes, it is true, Munk. I started the fight."

"Why?" Munkustrap asked with a grimace on his face.

"I thought he was flirting with Cassandra" was Alonzo's answer.

"And I told you he wasn't!" said Cassandra, "I was just talking with him! Is there a law against talking to Mungojerrie? Besides, you flirt with every other queen in the Jellicle Tribe; why would you care if others flirted with me?"

"Cass, if I had to choose just one queen in the Tribe, you would be the one," Alonzo answered in complete honesty.

"I'm flattered by that, Alonzo," Cassandra told him, also in complete honesty, "But I'm astounded by how quickly you jumped to conclusions."

"Alonzo, I want to talk to you in private," said Munkustrap, "But first I wish to talk with Mungojerrie. Go to the front of the clearing and wait for me there."

Alonzo nodded and went to the front of the clearing. Munkustrap then turned to Mungo and asked him "Mungo, why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me that you started the fight?"

"I, uh…" Mungo began, "I didn't th'ink you wou'd bel'ieve meh if I s'aid Alonzo st'arted it. So I th'ought it w'ould be easie' on us all if I t'old ya I star'ted the f'ight."

"Why not?" said Munkustrap.

"Well, th'ink a'bout it!" said Mungo, "Whose word wou'd you beli'eve mo're – you'r sec'ond-in-command's, or an ex-cr'iminal's?"

"Jerrie, the key term there is 'EX-criminal,'" said Munkustrap, "Six weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed your word over Macavity's word. But right now, your word is just as good as Alonzo's."

"Rea'lly?" said Mungo.

"Of course," Munkustrap grinned, "I did tell you that you have my trust, and I meant what I said."

"Th'anks, Munk," Mungojerrie grinned in return, "May I go now? Teazeh and I w'ere jus' a'bout ta 'ave break'fast."

"Sure, go right ahead," said Munkustrap.

Mungojerrie nodded, picked up the present from Exotica, got the jam from the storage room, and returned to his den. On the way, he thanked Quaxo for standing up for him. Quaxo just smiled and said "It's no problem. My brother can really be a pompous ass at times."

When Mungo got back inside the den, Rumple was still waiting for him. She asked him "D'id you get t'he jam?"

"Yeah," he answered, "And I w'as in one."

He placed the jam and the present on the table and they started eating. While they ate, Mungo enlightened Rumple on what had just happened outside with Alonzo. She was quite surprised to hear about Alonzo's reaction to seeing Mungo with Cassandra, but she was glad to hear that Munkustrap really did trust Mungo.

At the same time, Munkustrap was reprimanding Alonzo for his violent behavior.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Munkustrap demanded. "For a long time you've been my second-in-command, and up until this point, you've done a superb job. But attacking another tom because you assumed he was flirting with your mate? AND ignoring whatever they told you? This is so unlike you, Alonzo!"

"I really am sorry about this, Munk," said Alonzo, "I just got a little carried away."

"A little?" Munk scoffed, "You almost looked like you were ready to kill Mungojerrie."

"I wouldn't have dared kill him," said Alonzo, "But I wanted to let him know I did not approve of people flirting with my mate."

Munkustrap scoffed again and said "Alonzo, do really expect me to believe that?"

Alonzo just looked Munkustrap directly in the eyes. Munk continued "Just a few weeks ago, Tugger was flirting with Cassie, and you didn't seem to mind. No, there is something more than Cassandra involved in this matter. I am right, am I not?"

Alonzo looked to the side, but then he slowly started to nod and he said "Yes, you're right, Munk. In fact, Cassie is only a very small part of the issue."

"Then what is the bulk of the issue?" asked Munk.

There was a short interval of silence. Then Alonzo answered "It has to do with… Macavity."

Munkustrap looked surprised to hear this answer. "How does Macavity tie into this matter?"

Alonzo answered "Ever since the day he left the tribe, I've felt somewhat ashamed to be his son. Now, having his former second-in-command living amongst us has been very difficult for me to handle. Mungojerrie's presence is a constant reminder of my father's crimes."

"Mungojerrie has been living with us for six weeks," Munkustrap pointed out, "You still haven't gotten over your grudge after that much time has passed?"

"Well, I can't shake the feeling that trouble will eventually come to the Tribe with Mungojerrie around," said Alonzo. "I feel like he may return to his boss at any time."

"An agent of Macavity would never have gone out of his way to save Electra's life," Munkustrap pointed out.

"That is true," Alonzo admitted, "But I still don't feel comfortable around Mungojerrie."

Munkustrap stood thinking for a while. Finally he said "Alonzo, I think I know a way for you to get over your suspicions."

"How?" Alonzo asked.

"I want you to spend more time with Mungojerrie," said Munkustrap, "Talk to him; work with him; do each other favors. If you do this, I'm sure you will come to trust him as I trust him."

Alonzo gave a slight nod of the head and said "That seems like a reasonable arrangement. When do you want me to start?"

"As soon as possible," said Munkustrap, "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are planning to go into town today. How about you accompany them?"

"Well, I was planning on joining my Great-Uncle Bustopher into town today," said Alonzo, "But I suppose I could meet up with them when they pass St. James's Street."

Munkustrap found this to be a reasonable arrangement. He dismissed Alonzo and the two of them went about their business.

Back in the den Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer shared together, the two of them had just finished eating breakfast and they turned their attention toward Exotica's gift. They carefully untied the ribbon, removed the string, and opened up the lid of the box.

Inside laid two small pearl bracelets.

Mungo and Rumple each picked up one of the bracelets and studied them.

"Th'ey're beaut'iful," Rumple whispered.

"Yes, th'ey a're," Mungo agreed.

Their initial inclination was to put the bracelets on one of their front legs, but Mungojerrie got an even better idea. He took both the bracelets and undid the clasp on both of them. Then he had Rumpleteazer turn her back to him. He took the bracelets and the end of one of them onto the clasp of the other. He brought the bracelets around Rumple's neck and fastened the other clasp.

"Th'ere we go," Mungo smiled, "Now inst'ead of two beaut'iful brac'elets, we now 'ave one beaut'iful neck'lace."

Rumple looked at herself in a mirror and said "Th'ank you, Mungo. It's wonde'ful."

"Th'at's one re'ason wh'y it looks bette' on you," he told her.

The two of them shared a very ardent kiss, and then they left their den to start their first full day as mates.

Note: There'll be some real action in the next chapter!


	13. Like A Bridge

A few hours later, Mungo and Rumple decided to spend some time together outside of the Junkyard. After letting everybody else know, they set off to take a stroll through the city. They did some sightseeing and occasionally they robbed an unsuspecting pedestrian of a personal possession. They went to their human family's house for lunch.

The human family that owned Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer was large, and very wealthy. Fortunately for Mungo and Rumple, their humans owned so many items that whenever the two notorious cats stole something from them, its disappearance often went unnoticed… for a while, at least.

After lunch, Mungo and Rumple ventured to the other side of London by crossing Westminster Bridge over the Thames River. They were talking with each other about their plans for what to do on that day. They wanted to do something special together, as it was their first full day as mates.

Little did they know they would get more than they bargained for…

Alonzo and Bustopher Jones were returning from St. James's Street at that time, and they had just come to Bridge Street, which was the street one would come off onto after going across Westminster Bridge.

Alonzo soon caught sight of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. It was then that he decided to approach Mungo and do what Munkustrap had instructed him to do.

"I'll be right back, Uncle Bustopher," he said to his plump Great-Uncle, "There's something I need to take care of."

"Take as long as you need, Alonzo," Bustopher nodded at his Great-Nephew.

Alonzo walked across the street toward Mungo and Rumple. By the time he reached them they still hadn't noticed his presence. So he said "Ahem," which got their attention.

"Good afternoon, Mungo and Rumple," he said to the calico cats.

"'ello, Alonzo," said Rumple through narrow eyes. She was still angry at Alonzo for attacking Mungo without provocation.

"C'an we do some'thing for ya?" asked Mungo.

"Well," Alonzo began nervously, "I first wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about this morning. My behavior was completely uncalled for, and completely inexcusable."

"I'll s'ay it was," Rumple snarled.

"Tell meh," Mungo requested, "Was th'at whole mess re'ally a'bout Cass'andra, or was th'ere some'thin el'se involved?"

"There was something else involved," Alonzo admitted, "I believe you deserve an explanation."

Alonzo told Mungo and Rumple everything he had told Munkustrap earlier about how he felt in regards to being Macavity's son. When he was finished, both Mungo and Rumple found themselves sympathizing with him.

"I do not blame ya fo'r feelin' abas'hed, 'Lonzo," said Mungo, "Beli'eve meh; I abso'lutely reg'ret eve' workin' for you'r fathe'. Yet it wasn't unt'il I met Teazeh 'ere th'at my eyes w'ere open'd."

"Well, the're is one good th'ing that came of you'r invol'vement with Mac'avity, Jerrie," said Rumple as she stood directly at her mate's side.

"Wh'at's th'at, Teazeh?" he asked her.

She smiled and answered "Had you not brou'ght you'self to wo'rk fo'r 'im, you an' I would neve' 'ave met."

Mungo smiled back down at her. The two of them closed their eyes and nuzzled their heads closely together. Alonzo just smirked at the two of them.

"Touching, Jerrie," a cold voice interrupted their moment, "Very touching."

Mungo and Rumple opened their eyes and Alonzo turned around.

There stood Flash, Kotene, and Silent Danger.

"Oh, no," Mungo muttered under his breath. He and Rumple took a step forward so that they were lined up horizontally with Alonzo.

"Who the hell are they?" asked Alonzo.

"Th'ey're th'ree of Mac's 'enchcats," Mungo answered. He looked back and forth at the three henchcats. Then he said "I as'sume Mac sent ya to kill meh?"

"You guessed correctly, Jerrie," said Kotene, "And this time, we plan to do it right."

Alonzo, Mungo, and Rumple quickly stood on their hind feet and held their paws in front of them to take defensive stances. Alonzo and Rumple stood a little in front of Mungo, and the former said "If you mess with Mungo, you mess with us, too."

Flash just chuckled. He looked around at the three Jellicles and said to himself "A complacent fool, a treacherous coward, and a queen barely out of kittenhood. I must admit, you Jellicles are not very intimidating."

"Co'me a little clos'er, an' we'll show ya jus' HOW 'intimidating' we c'an be," Rumple threatened.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this," said Flash as he stretched his legs.

Mungo ordered aloud "Teazer, you t'ake Kotene. He's t'he le'ast agg'ressive of t'he three. Alonzo, you t'ake Flash. I th'ink you're f'ast enough to do'dge his att'acks. I'll t'ake Silent Dange'. You'll s'ee wh'y in a mom'ent."

Alonzo and Rumple agreed with this plan. They turned to face their respective opponent and kept their paws in the air, ready to either defend themselves or attack the henchcats.

Kotene, Flash, and Silent Danger rose to their hind feet, held their paws out in front of them, and prepared to attack.

Flash made the first move. He zipped toward Alonzo at incredible speed with his claws bared. Alonzo managed to dodge Flash's first blow just in time. But the second blow just barely grazed his shoulder.

Kotene moved in next. But because he wasn't nearly as fast as Flash, Rumple managed to avoid many of his blows. Kotene soon discovered that Rumple was much stronger than she appeared to be.

Mungo and Silent Danger were still facing each other off. Neither of them uttered a sound; they simply remained focused on each other.

"You'r move," Mungo incited the quiet cat into the fray.

They remained absolutely still for another fifteen seconds. Then, out of nowhere, Silent Danger flung himself towards Mungojerrie. The two of them were at each other's throats for a good two minutes.

Bustopher Jones was still standing at the same end of the Westminster Bridge as before. He was waiting on Alonzo to return so that could make their way to St. James's Street. After waiting for a total of fifteen minutes, he decided to investigate.

He turned around the corner of the bridge. About two hundred feet away, he saw six cats engaged in combat.

After concentrating his sight on the six cats, he made out three of them as Alonzo, Mungojerrie, and Rumpleteazer. He did not recognize the other three cats, but he could tell that they meant trouble.

_I've got to do something, _Bustopher thought to himself. He wanted to help his nephew and the two calicos, but it took him a long time to get anywhere because of his physical frame. By the time he reached them on foot, the fight would most likely have ended already. Based on how it was going right then, Alonzo, Mungojerrie, and Rumpleteazer would have lost.

_Alright, _Bustopher thought, _I just need a faster means of getting over there. But how? _Bustopher looked around for anything that could speed up his pace. Soon enough, he noticed a parked double decker bus just a few meters away from him. The bus was due to leave in just under a minute. Bustopher waddled over to the bus and hopped on. He stood on his hind feet and faced the bridge. He held onto the pole at the door to the bus with his front left paw and he gripped his oversized spoon tightly in his front right paw. A few seconds later, the bus driver switched the bus from the parking gear to the driving gear and set off down the bridge.

Back in the center of the street, Mungojerrie spotted an open wound just under Silent Danger's right shoulder. After Silent threw another blow at him, Mungo moved around him and struck him on his open wound. Silent Danger gripped the place Mungo had struck him and collapsed in pain.

Just then, Flash flew over Mungo's head. Alonzo had picked him up and thrown him away from the others.

Flash quickly rebounded and ran toward Alonzo again. Alonzo suddenly had a brilliant tactical idea.

"Mungo, stand perfectly still!" He instructed Mungojerrie.

"Uh, ok'ay?" Mungo agreed.

Right then, Alonzo and Mungojerrie were facing each other, and they were about five feet apart. Flash was running directly up to Mungojerrie from behind.

When Flash was ten feet away, Alonzo ran towards Mungojerrie. For every foot he got closer to Mungo, Flash got two feet closer.

When he was less than a foot away from Mungojerrie, Alonzo jumped toward him, thrusting his lower body weight forward first.

In a split-second, Alonzo had grabbed onto Mungo's shoulders with his front paws and he had thrown his hind feet directly by Mungo's left.

He ended up kicking Flash directly in the face. Flash fell about twenty-five feet away until he ended up on the opposite side of the bridge.

"Ni'ce move, 'Lonz," said Mungo, nodding in amazement.

"Thanks," said the black and white tom.

Bustopher was just seventy feet away from them at that point.

Rumpleteazer was still preoccupied with fighting Kotene. No matter how hard he tried to hit her, she managed to counter his every move.

Alonzo and Mungo just watched and smirked. The sight of a grown tom being outsmarted by a queen that had just come of age was rather amusing to them.

Suddenly, the two of them were grabbed from behind by Silent Danger. He viciously forced both of them onto the ground and tried to wrap his tail around Alonzo's neck. But Mungojerrie wouldn't allow this.

As they fought, the bus carrying Bustopher got closer, and Flash rose to his feet. He saw that both Mungojerrie and Alonzo had their backs turned to him, and he slowly started to approach on them from behind with his claws bared.

Just then, the bus carrying Bustopher passed Flash. Bustopher jumped off the bus and landed on his hind feet. Flash was already charging toward Alonzo and Mungojerrie like a raving lunatic.

But just then, Bustopher held his spoon out about four inches above the ground. Flash ran directly into the spoon and tripped over it. He had been running so fast that his velocity combined with the angle he had tripped at caused him to go flying.

Flash sailed directly over Alonzo and Mungo's heads. But he did not stop there. He flew over the bridge's railing, and he fell over seventeen feet into the Thames River.

Most cats do not know how to swim. Flash was one of them. He desperately tried to keep himself above the water. From the top of the bridge, Alonzo and Mungojerrie looked over the rail and watched as Flash struggled down in the river below. After about three minutes, Flash died of drowning.

Mungo quickly looked away. The sight of Flash's corpse floating on the water brought back a very unpleasant memory. He had no desire to relive that particular memory.

Kotene had managed to overpower Rumpleteazer and force her onto the ground. He tried to strangle her with his front paws. But before he could accomplish this, he felt a huge sharp pain in the back of his head. Bustopher Jones had whacked Kotene on the head with his spoon! As a result, Kotene almost immediately lost consciousness.

Silent Danger knew that this fight was essentially over already. He pushed Alonzo away, picked up Kotene's unconscious figure, and ran off the bridge as quickly as possible.

Alonzo, Bustopher, Mungojerrie, and Rumpleteazer could only watch as the silent cat carried his unconscious colleague to safety.

"For a guy that rarely talks, that 'Silent Danger' is rather strong," commented Alonzo.

"Bel'ieve me, 'Lonzo," said Mungo, "Sil'ent Dange' is some'one you re'ally don't want ta und'erestim'ate. But now's not t'he ti'me to wo'rry about that. We 'ave to get b'ack to the Jellicle Junkya'd as soon as poss'ible."

"Why is that?" asked Bustopher Jones.

"Th'is is t'he th'ird defeat in a row th'at Macavity 'as suffered," Mungojerrie explained, "Afte' suffe'ring three consec'utive defeats, 'e gets re'ally aggre'ssive. Bel'ieve meh wh'en I tell ya that we'll ne'ed to pre'pare ou'selves as much as poss'ible fo'r t'he next att'ack."


	14. The Different Approach

Kotene soon regained consciousness. He found himself being carried by Silent Danger. He told him "Silent, I'm awake. You can put me down now."

Without uttering a single word, Silent Danger put Kotene back onto his feet. Kotene brushed himself off, and then he noticed that they were alone.

"Where's Flash?" he asked his colleague.

Silent only gave him a facial expression that conveyed sorrow and regret.

Kotene said "He's dead, isn't he?"

Silent Danger nodded. Kotene had seen Flash fall over the rail on the bridge, but he had assumed that Flash's reflexes would have enabled him to grab onto the railing before he fell out of range.

Kotene sighed and said "Macavity is not going to like this at all."

Sure enough, Kotene's assumption was correct. He recalled everything he could about the fight to his boss. Macavity was outraged by his henchcats' newest failed attempt to kill Mungojerrie, and how it had resulted in the death of another of his best minions.

Now with Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash all dead, that made Silent Danger his second-in-command.

Deciding that drastic measures were needed now, Macavity had his entire organization assemble before him. He had them all stand in the main area of the warehouse. He stood before them on top of a crate with Silent Danger and Kotene standing at his sides, and two henchcats standing guard behind him. Once everybody else was gathered before them, Macavity announced:

"Mungojerrie has become more than just a thorn in my side. He has now become an ache in my back. Over the past few weeks, we have tried to confront him. We tried sending in spies. That didn't work. We tried attacking another member of the Jellicle Tribe to get his attention. That didn't work either. Just today, we tried sending three of our group to kill him outside the tribe. Based on what Kotene told me, my uncle Bustopher Jones intervened in the matter, and his intervention resulted in another failure on our part."

His henchcats all started talking with each other on this matter. They exchanged questions and concerns until Macavity gestured for silence.

Then he continued: "Each of those failures resulted in the death of one of our associates. Because of that, I will not let anyone go on another assignment alone. Or even as a pair. From this point onward, until further notice, I will send you on assignments as groups of three or more."

All his minions found this to be a reasonable order. Macavity went on: "Getting back to the matter at hand, I want Mungojerrie dead as soon as possible. But I am fresh out of ideas on how to accomplish this. Any suggestions any of you may have on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Any recommendations?"

Macavity waited for a response. But he got none. Most of his minions weren't nearly as good at making plans as he was. Some of them were just downright dumb.

Finally, Silent Danger said "I have one."

Everyone immediately turned toward him in both surprise and interest.

Kotene said "Silent… did you just talk?"

The quiet cat nodded. "Mac did say this called for drastic measures."

A few of the henchcats on the ground chuckled at Silent Danger's comment. Macavity, however, was more interested in what he had to say. He asked him "Well, Silent, what is your idea?"

"Well, boss," said Silent Danger (Or just Danger now), "As you know, up until now, we have been directly attacking Mungojerrie by confrontation or threats. At the same time, we have been neglecting a certain matter that would affect him far more than either confrontation or threats."

"What might that be?"

Danger simply leaned over to and whispered his plan into Macavity's ear. When Danger was finished, an evil grin came across Macavity's face. He said "That is a brilliant plan. In fact, I think you should talk more often, Danger."

"Genghis," said Danger.

Macavity looked at him with a confused expression. He said "What do you mean?"

"My name is really Genghis," Danger clarified. At that very moment, in front of everyone else, Danger pried off a very realistic mask. After so long, he had revealed his true face.

Macavity raised an eyebrow in amazement. This whole time, the famed Siamese cat Genghis had been working for him under a different identity.

"Another problem with our previous plans is that they were not thoroughly planned out," said Genghis, "We must carefully plan the whole thing."

Macavity nodded and turned back to the rest of his henchcats. He said "We will go through with Genghis' plan. I want you to take orders from him and me on the whole process. This time, we will not fail! Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" all his pawns replied in unison.

Ten days later…

At the Jellicle Junkyard, it was about eight o'clock in the evening. It was already dark outside, and most of the tribe was out in the clearing.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were sitting together on top of the TS-E1. The two of them were watching several of the other members of the tribe have a high-kick contest. So far, Victoria had done the best one. Etcetera had even wound up kicking herself in the head at one point!

As they watched, Rumple turned to Mungo. She noticed that his mind was not really focused on the other members of the tribe. He had other things on his mind. She asked him "Mungo, a're you alr'ight?"

He turned to her and said "Yes, I'm f'ine, Rumple. I was jus' th'inking about some'thin I once did in the past."

"Wh'at might th'at be?" she asked.

Mungo hesitated at first. Then he asked his mate "Teazeh, 'ave you eve'r done somethin' you deeply regr'eted late'r on?"

She thought for a moment and told him about a time when she accidentally hurt Jemima when the two of them had attempted a type of double-cartwheel while holding onto each other. Jemima did not cry at all, but Rumple could tell that she was hurt. Rumple had told Jemima several times she was sorry, and while Jemima forgave her, Rumple could never forgive herself, as the double-cartwheel had been her idea.

"Per'aps we cou'd try to per'fect that double-ca'twheel at the Jehllicle Ball," she suggested to her mate.

"May'be," Mungo nodded.

"So, wh'y did ya ask?" Rumple inquired.

"I once did somethin fa'r wor'se than th'at when I wo'ked for Mac'avity," he enlighted her. "Until a'bout ten d'ays ago, I 'ad fo'gotten about it, but a conve'sation I 'ad with Cass'andra and Flash's death on Westminste' Bridge brou'ght back t'he memories of it. It's been h'aunting me eve'r since."

"Tell meh a'bout it," she requested, "I'd like to kn'ow 'bout it."

"A're ya su're?" he asked. "It's not pr'etty at all."

"I w'ant ta know," she encouraged him.

Mungo sighed and said "Al'right, I'll te'll ya. I jus' hope ya won't th'ink less of meh after I've told ya."

Mungojerrie told Rumpleteazer about his early days working for Macavity. One of the cats they had sought out to join their group was Genghis, a famous Siamese cat who sailed on the Thames River. Genghis had initially refused the offer, but he told them he would give them the service of thirteen of his deadliest cats in return for a favor. The favor involved spying on Genghis' greatest enemy, Growltiger, and giving Genghis information about his barge and his manifest.

Macavity was a little hesitant about this. But Mungojerrie had gone ahead with the matter without consulting Macavity. He had spied on Growltiger's barge and given Genghis the information he had acquired. That information allowed Genghis and his Siamese horde to launch an attack on Growltiger's ship. His mate Griddlebone had survived the attack, but Growltiger had been forced to walk the plank and die of drowning.

Initially, Macavity was furious that Mungo had done this behind his back, but after Genghis sent him the thirteen henchcats he had promised, he was grateful for what Mungo did. The deadliest of the group was Silent Danger. The others had told them that Silent Danger did not speak a word to anyone, but he was Genghis' top cat.

Mungo was very proud of himself at the time, but ever since he had joined the Jellicles, he deeply regretted being responsible for Growltiger's death.

When he was finished enlightening Rumpleteazer of this matter, she did not think any less of him.

"Wh'at you did in t'he past do'es not matte' an'y mo're," she assured him, "As long as you re'gret it, everythin' is fine."

Mungojerrie smiled down at his mate.

Just then, all the lights in the junkyard went off.

Several screams were heard and some people started to panic.

Mungo and Rumple jumped off the TS-E1 and joined everyone else in the center of the clearing.

Alonzo and Munkustrap were trying to maintain order. Demeter was standing right next to Munkustrap. He quickly noticed she was freaking out.

"Dem, what's wrong?" he asked his mate in concern.

The gold and black queen slowly looked up at her mate and told him "It's Macavity. He's here."

Several of the cats started panicking and running around frantically.

"Everyone stay calm!" Munkustrap ordered.

Immediately then, a figure ran right past him. Munkustrap turned around, but there was no one there.

Another figure ran past Etcetera, who screamed in alarm. Then the figure mysteriously disappeared.

A third figure ran directly between Coricopat and Tantomile. The figure vanished from their sight before either of them could determine who or what it was.

Mungojerrie quickly realized what was going on. He announced to the others "It's Mac'avity's 'enchcats! They're try'ing ta conf'use us so that th'ey can catch us off ou'r gua'rd!"

Munkustrap addressed everybody next: "I want all the queens to go to their dens and barricade the doors! All toms, stay out here with me! We'll fight Macavity and his men off!"

Several of the toms escorted their mates to their dens. Mungojerrie was one of them.

After he got Rumpleteazer to their den, he told her "Stay 'ere and keep out of si'ght. I'll see ya wh'en th'is is ove'r."

"I know ya will," she smiled at him and kissed him.

Mungo then turned around and left the den.

Outside in the clearing, all the toms got into their defensive positions. Left and right, Macavity's henchcats were running past them.

All the toms held their ground. Soon, more of the henchcats arrived in greater numbers. Then Macavity appeared on top of a pile of junk. He rose to his full height and gave a sinister cackle.

The toms looked around the clearing, and they saw that they were surrounded on all sides by Macavity's henchcats.

Macavity gave a signal and shouted "Attack!"

His henchcats scurried down the junk piles and clashed with the Jellicle toms. There was a vicious fight that ensued. Several cats picked up junk off the ground and used it to fight their opponents. Others resorted to using only their claws and their fangs.

The fight was very brief, but very brutal. Munkustrap and Alonzo managed to keep everybody organized. They also made sure none of the other Jellicles became overwhelmed or overpowered by Macavity's henchcats.

Quaxo and Mungojerrie fought alongside each other. More henchcats were going for Mungo than for anyone else. But he managed to keep them off his back.

During the fight, Quaxo suffered a blow to the head. He fell onto his stomach and passed out. Mungo noticed and called Alonzo over. The two of them rushed Quaxo to safety. Once that was accomplished, they returned their attention to defending the junkyard from the henchcats.

After just five minutes of fighting, Macavity ordered all of his men to pull back. They hastily departed the junkyard all at once, but they felt that they had gotten more of a victory out of the fight than the Jellicles had. After all, they had successfully accomplished what they had come there for.

Once all of Macavity's units retreated, Munkustrap and Alonzo surveyed the others. All of them had only received minor injuries, but Quaxo was still out cold.

Asparagus and Skimbleshanks went to repair the light system as the other toms returned to their dens.

When Mungojerrie returned to his den, he opened the door and said "We've d'one it, Teazeh! Mac an' his 'enchcats a're gone!"

There was no response. The opening room was empty.

"Teazer?" Mungo said aloud. Still no response.

Mungo looked through the other rooms of the den, but Rumple was nowhere to be found.

_Where could she be? _He thought to himself.

When he returned to the front of the den, his eyes fell across the makeshift table. Rumple's pearl necklace was lying on the table, along with a folded piece of paper that hadn't been there before.

Mungo went over to the table and picked up the necklace and the paper. He unfolded the paper and examined it. The following message was written on it:

_Here's one part. If you ever want to see the rest, you know where to go._

Mungo stood thinking about this ambiguous message for a moment, but realization quickly dawned on him as he realized what the message meant. Mungo was horrified by the message's meaning.

Mungo rushed back outside. Everybody else had come back outside and the lighting system had been restored.

Mungojerrie ran over to Munkustrap and told him "Munk, I n'eed to tal'k to you imme'diately."

"Not right now, Mungo," said Munkustrap, "I have to make sure everyone is alright."

"Munk, th'is w'as jus' a dive'rsion," Mungo told him, "While we w'ere preoccupied with fightin' Mac's 'enchcats, Mac got wh'at 'e came 'ere fo'r!"

"What do you mean?" asked Munkustrap. "Demeter's still here."

"He didn't COME fo'r Demete'!" shouted Mungo. He showed Munkustrap the note. Munk quickly read it, and asked him "Where did you find this?"

"In mah den," answered Mungo. He held up the pearl necklace and said "Ri'ght next ta th'ese."

Munkustrap got a glimpse at the pearls, and he quickly caught on to what Mungo was trying to tell him. In utter shock, Munkustrap said "Are you telling me that-"

Mungo just nodded and said "Yeah, it's Teazer. Macavity's got Rumpleteazer."


	15. Forging A New Alliance

By that time, Macavity and all of his henchcats had returned to their hideout. Kotene and Genghis were both restraining Rumpleteazer and escorting her inside.

Once everyone was inside, Macavity got back on top of his crate. Kotene and Genghis joined him, forcing Rumpleteazer to come up with them.

Once all the other henchcats were assembled before them, Macavity announced "My friends, I'm pleased to announce… our mission was a success! We have captured Rumpleteazer!"

The henchcats cheered for their victory. When the cheering subsided, Macavity turned to Rumpleteazer and smirked at her. She simply glared at him through her anger-filled eyes and scowled at him hostilely.

Macavity walked over to her and started rubbing her chin mockingly. He said "Now that we've got the prey, all we have to do is wait for the hunter to arrive."

"Hun'ters kill th'eir prey," Rumpleteazer sneered, "If Mungo is the hun'ter, th'at would make you t'he re'al prey."

"Either way, he will come for you," said Macavity, still rubbing her chin in a mocking manner, "And when he does come, I will see to it that he never leaves this building alive."

Rumple tried to bite Mac's paw, but he moved it away just in time.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Macavity grinned, "No wonder Mungojerrie took you as his mate."

"Wheneve' 'e does come fo'r meh," Rumple muttered at the Mystery Cat, "He will KICK... YOU'R... ASS!"

Macavity kept grinning and he said "We'll just see about that."

He turned to two of his henchcats standing guard on the crate and told them "Take her to our 'guest room.' And make sure she is 'comfortable.'"

The two of them nodded and grabbed onto Rumple. The two of them and Kotene led her away up to the second floor.

Macavity then turned to Genghis and said "I'm curious about one thing, Genghis."

"What is that, Mac?" inquired the Siamese cat.

"Why did you join me under the identity of 'Silent Danger' instead of joining me as your real self?" asked Macavity. "That is something I still do not understand, especially considering the fact that I offered you entry when you went by 'Genghis.'"

"My reasoning may seem vague to you," said Genghis, "But I explain it as best I can. I was originally interested in joining your group. I actually considered having my entire group join yours. But first, I wanted to observe it on my own. So I had twelve of my men join with me as I served you under a different identity. They are the only ones that knew who I really was the whole time."

Macavity nodded, seeing the logic in Genghis' strategy. "Were you satisfied with what you saw?"

"More than just satisfied," Genghis grinned, "I am greatly impressed by your organization, Mac. In fact, I think I will have the rest of my group join you."

Macavity nodded again and said "If you want to go get them, go right ahead."

Genghis had two of the henchcats accompany him as he went to meet his group at THEIR hideout.

Back at the Jellicle Junkyard, an emergency meeting was taking place. The topic of interest was rescuing Rumpleteazer.

"I vote we just go in there directly and get her," Alonzo suggested.

"And do what?" asked Tugger. "Politely ask 'Can we please have Rumpleteazer back?' Why don't you ask them out to dinner while you're at it!"

"Hey, at least I'm trying!" said Alonzo. "Let's hear what 'brilliant plan' you've got up your sleeve!"

"Perhaps we can come to some form of negotiation," Jellylorum advised.

"Mac'avity doesn't nego'tiate," said Mungojerrie, "He wou'dn't even conside' free'ing Rumple unless I w'ere to show up."

"We could have Mistoffelees summon her back with his magic," suggested Tugger.

"We could," Demeter admitted, "But there's only one problem: we CAN'T because he's UNCONSCIOUS and we CAN'T REVIVE HIM!"

"There's no need to shout, Demeter," said Skimbleshanks.

"Sorry," said Demeter.

"Well, I c'an on'ly think of one othe' pot'ential option," said Mungo.

Everyone turned his or her attention toward him. He told them his plan: "Th'ere is a sec'ret entr'ance in the side of t'he buildin. I'll cre'ate a dive'rsion to give you all ti'me to enter throu' the sec'ret entr'ance, find Rumple, an' get 'er out of th'ere."

Everybody except Jennyanydots found this to be a reasonable strategy. Jenny asked him "Just how exactly will you 'create a diversion?'"

Mungojerrie was hoping that nobody would ask that. But seeing as how Jenny just did, he knew he had to answer her. He told them "I'll h'and mah-self ove'r to 'em."

Almost immediately, everyone withdrew their approval of his strategy.

"Absolutely not," said Alonzo.

"Wh'at's wrong with th'at plan?" asked Mungo in total seriousness.

"Mungojerrie, apparently you still have yet to learn what it truly means to be a Jellicle," Old Deuteronomy noted, "Jellicle cats never betray other Jellicles."

"Whoeve' said anythin a'bout betr'ayal?" asked Mungo, "I'm will'ingly turning mah-self ove' to Mac'avity."

"We will not allow that," said Asparagus.

"Mac'avity will not 'arm Teazeh," said Mungojerrie, "But on'ly as long as I sh'ow up an' turn mah-self ove' to him."

"Mungo, if you hand yourself over, Macavity will have won," Munkustrap pointed out.

"Th'at doesn't matte'," said Mungojerrie, "All I ca're about ri'ght now is Rumple. As long as she ma'kes it out unharmed, nothin' else matt'ers to meh."

It didn't take long for everyone to realize that Mungo was not going to change his mind about this strategy. All he cared about was saving Rumpleteazer. His own life did not matter to him.

Munkustrap then made a proposition: "How about a few of the toms and I stand watch at the front entrance to the warehouse? That way, when you go in, we can watch your back. Then everybody else can enter through this secret passageway of yours, find Rumpleteazer, and leave as if nothing ever happened. At the same time, the other toms and I will stand watch. At the first sign of something very unpleasant, we will move in and get you out of there."

Mungojerrie thought about Munkustrap's plan, and then he just grinned at him and said "Munk, you a're a gen'ius."

Back at Macavity's hideout, Rumpleteazer was in the "guest room." The two henchcats that had escorted her there had just finished helping her "get comfortable."

The "guest room" was actually a holding cell.

Rumpleteazer was sitting in a chair. Her front paws were tied behind her back and her hind feet were tied in front of her. Her waist was bound to the chair via a few ropes looped around her waist and the chair.

Needless to say, by "getting comfortable," the henchcats tied her to a chair.

Macavity was in the room with her. The two henchcats were standing guard at the door with Kotene.

Macavity walked in a circle around Rumpleteazer several times. He held a long, thin white piece of cloth in one of his paws as he did so.

Rumple found herself in much the similar situation as she had been in the night she and Mungo had first met. Only this time, she was not a kitten. She was a grown queen. Also, she was not afraid of Macavity or his minions.

Macavity noticed that there was no fear in Rumpleteazer's eyes, and he said "You do not seem under any stress."

She just scoffed and said "Why shou'd I be? If you'r inten'tion was to h'arm me, I know I wou'd be dead alr'eady."

Macavity gave a light smirk and said "You are rather observant. I'm sure you can predict what will happen when your mate comes for you."

"Yeah, I do know wh'at will 'appen," Rumple said with a note of triumph in her voice, "He will beat you to a bloo'dy pulp an' res'cue meh."

"Nope," said Macavity, maintaining the calmness in his voice, "He will try to save you, but he will die trying. As of what shall happen to you, that remains to be decided."

"A'ren't you takin th'is whole vend'etta bus'ness a little too fa'r?" Rumple asked.

He chuckled and said "I wouldn't even be doing this had it not been for all the damage you caused."

"Dam'age?" she asked, "Wh'at dam'age?"

Macavity's face tightened and he shouted "You turned my best colleague against me, got him to join the family I long ago deserted, and now because of you, four of my other henchcats are dead!"

"An' you'r sayin' th'at's MY fault?" said Rumple.

"You decided to snoop around here that night," he pointed out, "If you had just minded your own business, Mungojerrie would still be my second-in-command, you'd be home at the Jellicle Junkyard, and Cyclops, Zebrim, Sharpie, and Flash would all be alive!"

Rumple continued smirking and said "Mungoje'rhie is not dumb; 'e won't jus' waltz in 'ere and try to f'ind meh."

"No, he won't," Macavity agreed, "But I know him better than anyone, even you. He knows that if he turns himself over to me, I will let you go."

Rumple's eyes went up. She said "Wh'at do ya-"

"I mean that Mungo will not even put up a fight when he comes here," said Macavity, "He will just hand himself over in exchange for your freedom."

Rumple glared at Macavity and said "The othe' Jehllicles wou'd neve' let Mungo do such a th'ing."

"Perhaps not," Macavity agreed, "But I am sure he will still try."

During that entire time, Macavity had been walking around Rumpleteazer in counterclockwise circles. Right then, he was standing directly behind her. He stopped and approached her. He then took the long, thin piece of cloth he had been holding in both hands. He brought it over Rumple's head so that the center completely covered her mouth. Then he brought the two ends of the cloth back and tied them at the back of Rumple's neck, effectively gagging her.

He then walked back to the front of Rumple. She was bound and gagged in front of him, and completely at his mercy. He just smirked and said "If you'll excuse me… I have to prepare to welcome a traitor back."

Rumple attempted to shout something at him, but the gag muffled her words.

Macavity left the room. Before following him out, Kotene turned to the two henchcats. He instructed one of them to stand guard inside the room and the other to stand guard outside the door.

Rumpleteazer attempted to break free of her bonds, but they were just too tight. Soon she just sighed in angry defeat and mused about her predicament. She still possessed no fear of Macavity or his henchcats, but now she was very worried about Mungojerrie.

A half-hour later, Mungojerrie, Munkustrap, Alonzo, and most of the other Jellicles that had come of age (with the exception of those such as Old Deuteronomy, Gus the Theatre Cat, and Bustopher Jones, who were still at the junkyard watching over the kittens) were just across the street from Macavity's hideout. Mungojerrie was going over the strategy with them one more time. He wanted to make sure that they were totally clear on where to go and what to do. Once everybody was sufficiently versed in these subjects, they prepared to execute the plan. But just before they could, they heard a great deal of noise coming down the street.

The Jellicles quickly hid in the alley to avoid being noticed by anyone. Soon, the noise got stronger. Mungo and a few others peered around the corner. They saw Genghis and his crew coming from their barge on the Thames.

At that distance, Mungo couldn't make out who was at the front of the group. At first it appeared to be Silent Danger. But as the cat got closer, he realized it was actually Genghis. However, the fact that Genghis looked like Silent Danger at that distance fascinated him. But then he realized something else: Silent Danger and Genghis had the exact same physical frames. Also, he had never even heard Genghis speak. Soon, Mungo was able to put everything together.

_Oh my Everlasting Cat! _He thought. _Silent Danger… is really Genghis!_

There were over twenty-five cats accompanying Genghis, and Mungo recognized them as Genghis' feared crew.

Soon, the group arrived at the front entrance of Macavity's hideout, and knocked on the front door. They were quickly let inside by the guards at the doors.

After Genghis and his men were all inside and the doors were closed, Mungo said "Th'is is n'ot good at all. Mac'avity's forged an all'iance with Geng'his!"

The other Jellicles started talking amongst themselves about this disturbing piece of news.

"So, when do we execute the plan?" asked Alonzo.

"Not now," said Mungojerrie, "No, it's b'ack to t'he drawing bo'ard fo'r us."

"Why is that?" asked Tugger.

Munkustrap, seeing the logic in Mungojerrie's words, told his brother "Tugger, think about this. Macavity already has at least fifty-five henchcats. Genghis' crew measures to about another thirty-five. Altogether, that comes out to a minimum of ninety cats. Ninety against fourteen- or even fifteen, once we've freed Rumpleteazer- is not good odds."

"He's right," said Bombalurina, "They outnumber us six-to-one."

Asparagus turned to Mungojerrie and said "I hope you have another strategy in mind, Mungo."

Mungojerrie stood thinking for a few moments, and then he turned to the others and told them "I 'ave an id'ea. It's a longshot, but it jus' mi'ght wo'rk."

Mungo walked out of the alley and started walking down the street.

"Where are you going?" asked Cassandra.

"Fo'r a drink," Mungo said brightly.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"Munk, Al'onzo, Tugge', y'ou jus' follow me," he told them, "I kno'w wh'ere we c'an get 'elp. Ever'ybo'dy else, st'ay 'idden."

Mungo led Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Rum Tum Tugger to a tavern down the next block. It was a cats' pub called _The Catnip Corner_. When they stepped inside, everyone except Mungojerrie was greatly surprised by what they saw.

The pub was loaded with cats. But these cats were not the typical thug-like bar patrons. Some had a few scars, but others seemed free of such markings.

Several of them looked over at the new arrivals, but Mungojerrie was the only one they stared at.

Mungojerrie just calmly and nonchalantly marched through the pub and went to the bar. The bartender had his back turned away from the counter. Once at the bar, Mungo said to him "Exc'use meh, I'm lookin' fo'r Gru'mbuskin."

The bartender turned around, and it turned out to be Growltiger's bucko mate himself.

Mungo just grinned and said "Ah, good to s'ee ya, Grumbs."

This cat looked strangely familiar to Munkustrap. He could have sworn that he encountered him sometime in the past.

"You're not welcome here, Mungojerrie," the grey and black cat snarled at the calico cat.

"I know th'at," said Mungo, "But I jus' thou'ght I'd drop in. How a're you doin'?"

"Business is not running smoothly," Grumbuskin said in that same cold manner, "And the answer is still 'no.'"

"'No' wh'at?" asked Mungo.

"We don't want to join Macavity's group," Grumbuskin clarified.

Mungo chuckled and said "Th'at's not w'hy I'm 'ere."

"Then why are you here?" asked the bartender as he served a drink to one of the bar patrons.

"My fri'ends an' I 'ere are pla'nnin' a little res'cue miss'on," said Mungo, "We a're plan'ning to s'ave some'bodee FROM Mac'avity."

"Since when do you conspire against your boss?" asked Grumbuskin, cleaning a dirty glass.

"You rea'lly need to k'eep up on cur'rent ev'ents, Grumbs," said Mungojerrie, "I 'aven't wo'rked fo'r Mac'avity fo'r eight weeks."

"Is that so?" said a feminine voice from the side.

Everybody turned to see who it was. The voice belonged to a white Persian cat, whose coat had certain elegance to it.

"Yes, 'th'at IS so,' Griddlebone," Mungojerrie answered.

"Why should we help you, Mungo?" asked Grumbuskin. "Because of you, Growltiger is dead. Because of you, we're all here fending for ourselves in hiding. We didn't even have the opportunity to go down fighting with our boss. Instead, we're here rotting from sheer boredom."

"You 'ave my sinc'erest apologies fo'r th'at, Grumbs," said Mungojerrie, "And I know th'at you dis'like meh almos' as much as Mac'avity. But wh'at if I told ya th'at my plan inv'olved veng'ance on Genghis?"

This got Grumbuskin and Griddlebone's attention. It also got the attention of every other cat in the pub.

"Wait a minute," said Munkustrap, "'Growltiger?' 'Griddlebone?' 'Grumbuskin?' ' Genghis?' Mungo, do you mean that these cats-"

"A're wh'at's left of Growltiger's crew?" Mungo finished for the Jellicle Protector, "Yes, I do, Munk. Alth'ough sour'ces claimed th'at only Griddlebone su'vived Genghis' attack, in actu'ality, abou' half of the c'rew su'vived the massacre."

"A massacre, which, he helped bring about," Grumbuskin enlightened the Jellicle toms.

Grumbuskin took a moment to study Munkustrap. After a few seconds, he stated "Wait a moment... I know you. You're... Monkey-Rap. No, Mungus Trap..."

"Munkustrap," the black and silver tabby corrected him, as Alonzo and Tugger both snickered behind him.

"Yes, you, you're the Jellicle Protector," stated Grumbuskin, "I apologize, names escape me sometimes, but I never forget a face."

Munkustrap finally remembered where he had seen Grumbuskin before. "I remember you now. You were the one that brought four members of our tribe back home the night Growltiger fell!"

Mungojerrie looked back and forth between the two toms, confused by the subject of their conversation. He asked aloud "Ummm... a're you two acqu'ainted w'ith each othe'?"

"It's a very long story, Mungo," Munkustrap told him, "As you know, we don't have time for long stories right now. So I'll give you the simplified version: Tumblebrutus once served on board Growltiger's vessel."

**(Note: The "long story" mentioned above is my CATS fanfic "The Boatswain." I stress the word long especially, as I believe it is the longest CATS fanfic ever posted on this site. However, you don't have to read it before you read this.)**

Mungojerrie looked back at Grumbuskin and said in interest "Re'ally? Tumble used ta w'ork on b'oard the _Demagogue_?"

"Yes, and he was a fine officer," Grumbuskin answered, "He made the rank of Third Officer after just seventeen days. He and a few of his friends accompanied me on our mission to Hampton, as well. But after the assault at Molesey, I knew that it would not be safe for a tom as young as him to continue working for us. So I took him and his friends home to the Jellicle Junkyard that night."

"Th'ere w'ere othe' Jell'icles w'ith you?" said Mungojerrie.

"Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile went with Tumblebrutus and Grumbuskin's reconnaissance party to Hampton," Munkustrap explained, "Tumblebrutus had sought the twins out for their ability to determine deception from anyone they encountered, and I think Jemima blackmailed Tumblebrutus to convince her to join him. I guess she just did not want to spend so much time away from him."

"Wow," commented Mungo, "Th'is is all ver'y new ta meh. How m'any othe' m'emb'ers of the Tribe kn'ew a'bout th'is?"

"Truthfully, everyone knew; Tumblebrutus and the others told the Tribe the whole story after news of Growltiger's fall travelled around the city," Munkustrap responded, "However, the only ones who met Grumbuskin when he brought the four of them home are myself, Asparagus, Jellylorum, and Skimbleshanks."

"Fasc'inatin'," remarked Mungojerrie.

There was a brief pause. Then Munkustrap said "Mungo, Grumbuskin here just said you had something to do with Growltiger's downfall. Is this the truth?"

"Reg'retfully, yes," Mungo sighed, "Wh'en I wo'rked for Mac'avity, I did pl'ay a role in bringin' a'bout Growltiger's death. But, Grumbs, I'm givin' you an' everybody else 'ere the oppo'tunity to conf'ront the tom who made Growltiger's de'mise possible."

Grumbuskin stood thinking for a time. Then he asked "Who in here would like to get revenge against Genghis?"

Every cat in the tavern (minus the three Jellicles, of course) raised his or her paw, including Griddlebone and Grumbuskin.

Grumbuskin looked at Mungojerrie and asked him "Just who is it you plan to rescue from Macavity anyway?"

"My ma'te Rumpleteaze'h," Mungo answered.

As Grumbuskin nodded, Griddlebone asked the next question "How dangerous is this mission?"

Mungo told her straight-out "It is h'ighly unli'kely th'at a'ny of you will su'vive."

Grumbuskin just grinned and said to his crewmates "Did you hear that? There's a chance that we'll all go down in glorious battle, fighting to avenge the death of our leader!"

The cats in the tavern cheered loudly when they heard this. Grumbuskin looked down at Mungojerrie and held out his paw. Mungo slowly took Grumbuskin's paw in his. As they shook paws with each other, Grumbuskin grinned and said "Mungo, you just got yourself twenty-six new allies."


	16. The Rescue

Note: I've looked back on this story, and after careful consideration, I have decided to move it up to an M rating. This is now my first M-rated story. My reasoning for this is because of heavy violence, some swearing, and the scene where Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer mate. I hadn't intended for there to be this much graphic content originally, but now that I'm here, I may as well go on! Also, in this chapter, there will be some more graphic violence.

Back at Macavity's hideout, Rumpleteazer was still attempting to break free of her bonds. No matter how hard she tried, she could barely even budge them. She tried to force off her gag, but it was tied too tightly.

Frustrated, she thought to herself _Come on, Teazer. You've got to get yourself out of this mess. Just try harder_.

The henchcat standing in the room at the door just brought a smug grin on his face and said "You can struggle all you want. But without help, you'll never break free of those restraints."

She tried to shout "You bastard!" but all she could do was mumble through her gag.

Back outside, the Jellicles and the survivors of Growltiger's Last Stand were quietly making their way down the street towards the warehouse. Grumbuskin, Griddlebone, and their colleagues were armed with carving knives in their paws, and several of them wore makeshift belts that contained an assortment of small but effective blades. After going over the plan three times, everybody got into their positions.

"Good luck!" Munkustrap whispered to Mungojerrie before the latter started to make his way to the entrance of the warehouse.

Mungojerrie slowly approached the entrance of the warehouse. When he reached the door, he stood up on his hind legs and brought his front paw up to the door. He knocked on it loudly three times.

Almost immediately, the door was opened by two of Macavity's henchcats. When they saw who was there, they just grinned wickedly and said "Come on inside. We've been expecting you."

"I kno'w," Mungo glared at the two of them.

After he stepped inside, the two of them shut the doors. They were about to seize him, but he pushed them away and said "I kno'w wh'ere Mac is. Ya don't n'eed ta drag meh th'ere."

Mungojerrie marched towards the main storage room with the two henchcats following him, both looking somewhat bewildered.

Once he saw this, Munkustrap signaled to the others "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!"

He, Alonzo, and Rum Tum Tugger went with Grumbuskin and his crewmates to the sides of the building. They managed to open up some of the windows there and they crept inside.

On the right side of the building, the rest of the Jellicles approached the secret passageway. They went inside and made their way up to the third floor.

Right then, Mungojerrie arrived in the main storage unit of the warehouse. He saw dozens of cats assembled there- Macavity's original henchcats and Genghis' crew alike. They were all over the room- on the floor, on crates and boxes, and talking with each other at the time, but no one seemed to notice that Mungojerrie had just arrived.

Mungo just entered the room and shouted angrily "HEY, MACAVITY!" over all the commotion.

All the cats there turned their heads collectively towards the primary entrance of the room. There they saw Mungojerrie standing up straight on his hind feet.

Macavity had been talking with Genghis and Kotene at the time. Genghis had donned a belt with an assortment of blades and daggers, as had most of his crew. When Macavity heard someone calling his name, he turned towards the direction of that person. Then he just grinned in satisfaction and said "Welcome back, Mungo."

Mungo silently approached his former boss, staring at him in total abhorrence. As he got closer, most of the henchcats started forming a circle around the two of them. This cut off all of Mungo's potential escapes, but this did not matter to him.

Finally, Mungo penetrated the silence with the words "Wh'ere is Teaze'h?"

Macavity just smirked and answered "She's tied up at the moment... and gagged."

Mungo had an expression of such terrible rage on his face, that it made Kotene and Genghis quiver slightly. Macavity, however, held his ground and remained completely indifferent to Mungo's countenance.

"If yo'u 'ave 'armed her at all, I w'ill kill you," Mungo muttered.

Macavity scoffed and said "You have my word, I have not harmed her at all. But she will only remained unharmed under one condition."

"I bel'ieve I kno'w wh'at th'is condition is," said Mungo, "But wh'at assu'ance do I 'ave th'at you will k'eep you'r word?"

Right then, Munkustrap, Alonzo, Tugger, and Growltiger's crew had just entered on both sides of the room. They were quietly climbing the crates and boxes so that they could observe the entire storage unit.

Grumbuskin took out one of his small blades and held it carefully in his right paw.

Macavity answered Mungojerrie's question with "Surely you know that I am a cat of my word, Mungo. Not only will Rumpleteazer remain unharmed, but I will free her and allow her to return to the Jellicle Tribe. That is, if you surrender and accept the penalty for deserting our group, of course."

Mungojerrie nodded and said "I acc'ept you'r pro'position." He then kneeled down in front of Macavity, letting down his guard.

Mac approached his ex-partner and bared his claws one at a time. When he was finished, he raised them high over his head. Then he said "Any last words?"

Mungo looked up at Macavity and dropped his expression of rage, replacing it with one of supressed amusement. He responded "Yes. Mac, I th'ink I kno'w wh'at you'r pro'blem is."

"What might that be?" asked Macavity.

Mungo answered "You're too compl'acent. You re'ly too m'uch on you'r hen'chcats' abil'ity to main'tain secu'ity. Wh'y, be'ind you'r back, people cou'd be sneakin' in f'rom all ove' the place!"

"And you're telling me this, why?" said Macavity.

Mungo grinned and said "Be'cause you've got comp'any."

Right then, Grumbuskin threw his small blade towards Macavity. The blade flew through the air and sank into the paw Macavity had raised. Macavity gave a brief shout of pain and held his injured front paw with his other front paw.

"NOW!" shouted Grumbuskin.

He and the other members from Growltiger's crew jumped out of hiding, taking the henchcats by surprise. Several of Grumbuskin's colleagues each threw a small blade towards the henchcats. Just a few seconds later, nine of the henchcats collapsed. Four of them were dead; the rest were badly wounded.

The henchcats quickly diverted their attention away from Macavity and Mungojerrie. Genghis' crew armed themselves with their blades, but all Macavity's henchcats had to fight with was their claws. Grumbuskin and the other members of Growltiger's crew came charging at the henchcats with incredible force and brutality. Pretty soon, a deadly brawl ensued. Kotene quickly took Macavity by the shoulders and led him away from the brawl.

One of the other henchcats tried to seize Mungojerrie, but Mungo gripped him by the paw and slugged him in the face.

Macavity pushed away Kotene, telling him "I'm fine! I can still fight on my own!"

Kotene nodded and said "What are your orders, boss?"

"I want you to stand guard outside Rumpleteazer's cell," said Macavity, "I'm sure that's the first place they'll go."

"Where who will go?" asked Kotene.

"The rest of their group," Macavity explained, "I taught Mungojerrie everything he knows about tactics. I believe that this fight is merely a diversion. Rumpleteazer must be who they really came for."

Kotene nodded and turned to six other henchcats, ordering them to accompany him.

Macavity turned his attention toward his wounded paw. He hastily pulled out the small blade, and then he licked his wound a few times. After that, he looked around the area for Mungojerrie. He finally caught sight of him.

Mungo had just knocked another of the henchcats onto the ground. Macavity decided to take advantage of this opporunity. He raised the small blade into the air and flung it at Mungojerrie. But with stupendous reflexes, Mungo held his paw in the air and grabbed the blade before it could hit him.

"You'll 'ave ta do bette' than th'at!" he shouted across the room at Macavity.

Macavity grimaced at him and started marching angrily towards Mungojerrie, pushing aside anyone in his way.

Right then, Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Rum Tum Tugger appeared at Mungo's side. Munk told him "You go find Rumpleteazer. We'll handle him."

Mungo nodded and searched around the room for an exit to the third floor. Finally, he spotted one and made his way there.

Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Tugger turned their attention towards Macavity. The Mystery Cat eyed his son and his brothers closely. Tugger threw the first blow, and soon all four of them were involved in a great struggle.

In one part of the main storage unit, one of Grumbuskin's crewmates had slit the throat of one of Genghis' crewmates. Then he had sank one of his small blade into the heart of another of the crew. Pretty soon, both of them were lying dead in front of him. Grumbuskin's colleague looked very pleased with himself, but just a few moments later, he felt a very agonizing pain in the back of his neck. He slowly turned around and saw Genghis standing directly in front of him. His left paw was soaked in fresh blood.

Very slowly, that crewmate of Grumbuskin's brought his paw to the back of his neck. When he brought it back to the front, he saw a huge bloodstain on his paw. Genghis' claws had penetrated his skin so much that it had gone right into his skull!

That cat from Grumbuskin's boat dropped dead a moment later. Genghis just smiled down at his victim in satisfaction, and then turned his attention to the center of the room. There he saw Grumbuskin killing another of Macavity's henchcats.

Just then, Grumbuskin caught sight of Genghis, and the two shared about ten seconds of hostile eye contact with each other.

Then the two of them started to approach each other. When they were less than four feet apart, Genghis drew his longest knife from his belt.

Everyone else moved out of the way as the two cats faced each other off. They were oblivious to everything else that was going on around them.

As they faced each other off, Grumbuskin muttered "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."

"Too bad it will end in disappointment for you," leered Genghis.

"That remains to be determined," Grumbuskin stated coldly, "I swore upon my father's name that I would avenge Growltiger's death. I fully intend to go through with that vow."

"I'd like to see you try," snarled Genghis.

"That's the idea," All of a sudden, Grumbuskin lunged at Genghis, swinging his knife at his throat. Genghis moved out of the way and fought back. The two were soon engaged in combat with each other in the direct center of all the fighting.

At that same time, Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots, Asparagus, Jellylorum, Coricopat, Tantomile, Exotica, Cassandra, Bombalurina, and Demeter had already arrived on the third floor via the secret passageway. They were going through various rooms in the corridors, searching intently for Rumpleteazer. After searching through eleven rooms, Cassandra stated flat out: "This is ridiculous. There's got to be an easier way to find Rumpleteazer than to just search through every single room."

"She's right," Jellylorum agreed, "There must be something we are overlooking."

"I think I may know," said Skimbleshanks. Everyone turned to him as he said "Mungojerrie told us that Macavity always puts his prisoners in a room on his floor. But he told us that he was not sure which room it was. However, we can safely assume that Macavity would not just put Rumpleteazer into a random room and leave her there."

"What are you implying, Skimble?" asked Asparagus.

"I'm implying that Macavity must have a guard outside whatever room he is holding Rumpleteazer in," said Skimble, "We should look for any henchcats that appear to be standing guard. If we do that, we should be able to find Rumpleteazer."

The others saw the logic in Skimble's reasoning. So they continued on, browsing through the corridors very quickly but quietly. Finally, they saw a henchcat standing guard outside a door in the middle of a hall.

"Rumpleteazer must be in that room," Jellylorum concluded.

"We have to take out that henchcat first," said Tantomile.

"You're right," Coricopat agreed, "But how will we manage that?"

They stood thinking for a while, and then Bombalurina said "I've got an idea!"

She quickly explained her plan to the others. Almost everybody found her plan to be a little risky and underdeveloped, but all the same, she believed it would work.

Bombalurina went down the corridors until she arrived at the other end of the corridor. Then she walked down towards the henchcat.

When she was twenty feet away from him, the henchcat turned toward her and shouted "Halt! Who goes there?"

Bombalurina just continuing walking towards him and said "Oh, no one special, _handsome_."

"I"m flattered," the henchcat said sarcastically, "But because I do not recognize you, I must ask you to come with me."

"Where to?" she asked flirtatiously as she got closer.

"To our records room," he answered, "I need to confirm that you're not an intruder."

She chuckled and said "Whatever would give you that idea?"

Right then, Bombalurina was standing directly in front of the henchcat. She waved her hips very sensually in front of him. Pretty soon, her plan was working.

"But, I suppose..." said the henchcat, "We have time to... to talk or something."

"Whatever you want," Bombalurina made a gesture towards the other Jellicles with her eyes.

Jennyanydots started to sneak up on the henchcat. When she was right behind him, Bombalurina put her paw on the henchcat's shoulder and asked him "What's your name, sugar?"

"My... name?" he stuttered, "Oh, my... my name is-"

Then Jennyanydots brought her front paws together and landed a fierce blow on the back of the henchcat's head, rendering him unconscious almost instantaneously.

"Good timing, Jenny," Bombalurina smiled at the Gumbie Cat.

"Only you can devise such an... unorthodox method of distracting people, Bomba," said Jenny, shaking her head.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Bombalurina lightheartedly argued.

"You just better hope nobody tells Tugger about this method of yours, Bomba," Demeter smirked.

"Wow, congratulations, Dem," Bombalurina smiled down at her younger sister, "You just told your first joke!"

Demeter was about to open her mouth when Skimbleshanks told them "We don't have time for this."

On the other side of the door, Rumpleteazer was still tied to the chair with the gag over her mouth. The other henchcat was still keeping a close watch on her.

He heard someone knock at the door. To this he responded "Come in."

The door didn't budge an inch. But another knock was heard

"Come in," he repeated, a little more annoyed this time.

No one entered; all that came was another knock.

This caught the attention of both Rumpleteazer and the henchcat. The former of them watched as the latter of them went to the door and opened slightly to peer outside. Initially, the henchcat did not see anyone, so he opened the door a little more.

The next thing he saw was an orange paw going straight for his face.

Skimbleshanks had punched the henchcat directly in the face. He had punched him so hard that he had knocked him unconscious.

Once the henchcat was on the ground, Skimble opened the door. He looked into the room, and immediately saw his oldest daughter tied to a chair. Jenny saw her as well.

Rumpleteazer yelled to him through her gag "Dad! Mom!"

Skimble and Jenny smiled in joy when they saw their daughter. The two of them and everybody with them entered the room and went over to Rumpleteazer.

"Hold still, Teazer," Jellylorum instructed her niece, "We'll have you free in a moment."

Coricopat, Tantomile, Exotica, and Cassandra stood watch while the others went to work untying Rumpleteazer. Demeter started to untie Rumple's hind feet, Asparagus and Jellylorum started to untie her wrists, Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots started to untie her waist, and Bombalurina started to untie her gag.

While they were in the middle of this process, they suddenly heard the sound of the door slamming shut.

Everyone turned collectively towards the entrance to the room. There they saw Kotene and six henchcats standing directly in front of them.


	17. The Most Vulnerable Place

Back in the main storage unit, the battle was still raging on. Even though they were badly outnumbered, Growltiger's followers were putting up a valiant fight against Macavity's henchcats.

Grumbuskin and Genghis were still locked in combat with each other. For so long both of them had wanted to see the other dead, and nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling this goal themselves, unless it was death itself.

As Genghis parried a few fierce blows from Grumbuskin, the latter said "I must admit, you fight rather well..." he paused for a moment, and then finished: "For a psychotic Siamese coward."

"Just how am I a coward?" Genghis asked through gritted teeth.

"You attacked us when we were all asleep!" shouted Grumbuskin. "A REAL adversary would have come out and attacked us in broad daylight!"

"Surely you know that your code of honor means very little to me, Grumbuskin," said Genghis, "My crew and I merely fight to win and spread fear."

Grumbuskin grinned and said "And that is why I shall win this match."

"That remains to be seen," said Genghis.

The two of them resumed fighting without speaking another word.

Not very far away from them, Macavity was still fighting Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Tugger. He was much stronger than any of them, but he could not focus on all three of them at once.

Without warning, Macavity lashed out at all three of them, momentarily distracting them. When they recovered, he was nowhere in sight.

"Where the hell did he go?" asked Tugger.

"I don't know," said Alonzo, "He couldn't have just disappeared."

"Or perhaps he could have done just that," theorized Munkustrap, "After all, they do always say 'Macavity's not there.'"

"But I AM up here!" bellowed a voice from above.

The black and silver tabby, the white and black patched tom, and the Maine Coon all looked up. There they say the red and gold cat on the second floor view section, just underneath the rafters.

"So long!" he called out to his brothers and son, "I have some unfinished business to attend to!"

Then he disappeared from their sights through one of the doors on view section.

"We have to follow him!" said Munkustrap

"But what about Grumbuskin and the others?" asked Alonzo.

Conveniently, Griddlebone was only a few feet away from them, fighting off a female henchcat. After killing that henchcat, she turned to Munk, Alonzo, and Tugger, and told them "I think we'll manage alright without you."

"Are you sure?" asked Tugger.

Griddlebone briefly looked over her shoulder at the corpse of the henchcat she had just killed, and then she turned back to the three Jellicle toms and answered with two words: "Quite sure."

Back on the third floor, Kotene and the six henchcas that had accompanied him were preparing to confront the Jellicles.

The Jellicles had managed to untie Rumpleteazer's waist and hind feet, as well as her gag, but her front legs were still tied behind her back.

Skimbleshanks laid out the battle plans. He announced "Cassandra, Exotica, Demeter, you protect Rumpleteazer; see if you can free her. Bombalurina, Coricopat, Tantomile, you take the three henchcats on the left. Jenny, Jellylorum, Asparagus, you take the three henchcats on the right. I'll handle Kotene."

The Jellicles quickly got into position and eyed the henchcats closely. There was a brief interval of silence in the room.

Finally, one of the henchcats lunged at Coricopat. Coricopat merely stepped out of the way and grabbed the henchcat in mid-air. With the aid of Tantomile, he knocked out the henchcat by whacking him repeatedly on the back of the head.

This happened in the interval of seven seconds. Soon enough, almost everybody was involved in another fight.

Cassandra, Exotica, and Demeter were still standing near Rumpleteazer. Cassandra and Exotica were positioned so that they could fend off any possible attackers that came near, and Demeter was trying to untie the ropes that held Rumpleteazer's front paws together behind her back.

"Ow!" Rumple said as Demeter worked on the bonds, "Be ca'eful, Demete'. You scr'atched mah paw!"

"I'm sorry, Rumple," Demeter said sincerely, "Whoever tied these knots did a very good job. I can't seem to untie them."

"Try ta cut 'em with you'r claws," Rumple suggested.

Demeter attempted to sever the ropes apart with her claws, but she had no success. They were just too thick.

By then, Kotene was the only henchcat that hadn't been defeated by the Jellicles yet. All the other henchcats were either unconscious or wounded on the ground. Kotene was engaged in fighting with Skimbleshanks. He was trying hard to attack Skimble, but the Railway Cat was too fast for him. Skimble dove over Kotene and struck him on a weak spot on his back. Kotene collapsed and moaned in pain.

Just then, someone kicked the door open. Everyone turned towards the entrance, and they saw Macavity standing right there.

The Mystery Cat entered the room and looked all around at the other cats in the room.

Right then, Skimbleshanks charged towards Macavity with his claws bared. He jumped onto the ginger cat and tried to slash his face with his claws.

"You'll pay for kidnapping my daughter, Macavity!" Skimble fumed at Macavity.

"Oh, I don't think so, Skimble," Mac smiled. He grabbed both of the Railway Cat's front paws with his front paws and kicked him off. Skimble went flying across the room into the wall.

"Daddy!" Rumple called out to her father as he dropped to the ground.

Jennyanydots went to fight Macavity next. He just pushed her onto the ground and started to make his way over to the center of the room.

Coricopat and Tantomile attacked Mac simultaneously. He seized both of them by one of their front legs and tossed them to opposite sides of the room.

Asparagus and Jellylorum moved in next. However, the two of them were the eldest cats there, and it didn't take much effort for Macavity to defeat them. Once both Asparagus and Jelly were lying on the floor, Macavity continued to make his way to the center of the room.

It didn't take long for everyone to realize that he was walking towards Rumpleteazer. Cassandra and Exotica positioned themselves in front of the chair and hissed at him. Macavity, of course, was not intimidated by either of the dark queens.

Exotica attacked first with Cassandra immediately following. Macavity pushed through both of them as if he was passing through fog.

Right then, Macavity was standing almost directly in front of Rumpleteazer and Demeter. The two queens eyed him nervously as he approached.

Just then, Bombalurina stepped in front of Macavity. She stood on her hind feet and put her hands on her hips.

"That's enough of that, Mac," she shot at him.

"Step aside, Bomby," Macavity snarled at the red and black queen.

"I will not," she refused, "You'll have to take me down first."

Macavity scowled up at her. Even though he himself was very tall, Bombalurina was slightly taller.

Almost all the queens in the Jellicle Tribe feared Macavity. Bombalurina was the one exception. She never feared Macavity. The two of them had been good friends in their kittenhood, but after Macavity left the tribe and turned to crime, Bombalurina, like most other members of the tribe, gave up on him.

Macavity knew that Bombalurina didn't fear him by his appearance, so he would need another method to defeat her. For some strange reason, he couldn't actually bring himself to harm her using brute force.

Just then, a solution popped into Macavity's mind. He looked Bombalurina directly in the eyes and grinned wickedly at her.

Bomby remained incredulous, even as Macavity started to approach her. When he was directly in front of her, he stood absolutely still. Then without warning, he reached out with his front paws and grabbed her by the shoulders. He lifted her up into the air and held her like that for a short time. He held her in a way that she could not break free.

The other Jellicles watched for the floor as Macavity told Bombalurina "You certainly have an impressive figure, Bomba."

She scoffed and said sardonically "Thank you. Would you mind putting me down now?"

"Not just yet," answered Macavity, keeping that wicked grin on his face, "I'd like to examine you first."

Bombalurina attempted to break free, but Macavity was too strong.

Macavity started his examination of the red and black queen. He started rubbing her back legs. She flinched at his touch.

Macavity grinned and told her "Your legs are rather long for a queen your age. Perhaps too long. There are not many toms I know of that like tall queens. The only exceptions are Rum Tum Tugger and my own son, Alonzo."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bombalurina inquired.

"Despite that you are one of the most beautiful and physically attractive queens I have ever seen, I feel compelled to inform you about your flaws," he answered.

He went a little up her body and ran his paw along her tail, telling her "Your tail is the right size, but it seems as though you have not gained complete control of it. I imagine that that would come to your future mate as a great inconvenience."

"And just who is my future mate?" she asked.

"Alas, I do not know," he told her, "But whoever he is, I predict that he will be mighty disappointed when he discovers that things are not always as they seem."

A look of worry came upon Bombalurina's face. She realized that Macavity was directly criticizing her body. This type of harsh criticism was one of Bomba's few weaknesses.

Macavity held onto Bombalurina with both his paws and examined her front legs. He told her "Your paws are twitching. Your stomach is trembling. Both of those features can make you appear to be clumsy and foolish."

Bombalurina was starting to believe the things that Macavity was telling her. She started inhaling and exhaling very deeply.

Demeter noticed her sister's reaction and told her "Don't listen to him, Bomba! He's trying to exploit your weakness!"

Macavity just continued: "Your whiskers appear to be out of alignment. Your ears do not appear to be symmetrical. Your coat is somewhat uneven."

Bombalurina was on the verge of tears. However, that was not because of the insults themselves; it was because she feared that everything Mac told her was the truth. Not only was Macavity very strong and devious, but he was also very intelligent and cunning.

Finally, Macavity brought her around and examined her thighs and abdomen. He told her "You do seem a little thin." He paused, and then continued "Perhaps too thin. Your frame may render you incapable of bearing kittens in the future."

Bombalurina could not handle this last insult. Her eyes started tearing up at Macavity's harsh words. She stuttered in disbelief "No, no… that's not true! It's not true!"

Macavity grinned and said "Oh, but I'm afraid it is, Bomby. You may never become a mother in the future. Oh, well, at least Demeter was able to continue the family line for you two."

Tears started streaming from Bombalurina's eyes. By then, she was offering no resistance, so Macavity loosened his grip on her and set her down on the ground gently.

Finally, Macavity turned his attention back to Demeter and Rumpleteazer. Demeter feared Macavity more than anything and anyone, but she got bold and stood in front of Rumpleteazer.

She said nervously "Stay away from her, Mac. I won't let you harm her."

Macavity kept grinning and said "I have no intention of harming Rumpleteazer, Demeter. I need her as bait to trap Mungojerrie."

Macavity then grabbed Demeter, who immediately started panicking. The last time he held her in such a way, it had been on Fleet Street, where he tried to rape her.

However, he held her differently than Bombalurina. He just moved her away from the chair and dropped her hard on the ground.

He looked down at her and told her "I may have sworn to make you my own, but there is only one thing that brings me more pleasure than mating: Revenge. Sometime in the future, you WILL be my mate, but it will not be today. Today, Mungojerrie will receive my type of justice."

"What's justice to you is murder to the rest of us," Demeter hissed at him.

"No, it is merely a matter of perspective," said Macavity. He then looked over his shoulder and said "Kotene, get Rumpleteazer. We'll move her to another room and wait for Mungojerrie from there."

Kotene got up off the ground and went over to Rumpleteazer. He forced her to stand up on her hind legs and he held onto her by her bound front paws. Kotene led Rumple to the door. Macavity followed them, walking backwards. He said to the Jellicles "If any of you follow us, we will kill her."

The two sinister cats left the room with their captive.

"It wou'd appea' that you'r 'enchcats are not as intimid'ating as I thou'ght," Rumpleteazer shot at Macavity.

"Kotene, would you please make her quiet?" Macavity asked his henchcat.

"Sure, boss," Rumpleteazer's gag was still hanging loosely around her neck. Kotene untied it, and then retied it around Rumpleteazer's mouth, once again silencing her.

Macavity and Kotene quickly moved their hostage to another room on the floor.


	18. Delayed Reunions

**Note: As the above data suggests, this story was indeed finished on the April 3, 2011. But this is me speaking to you on October 6th, 2011. If you read this chapter before this date, you may notice that it is much longer than before. You see, I revised it today in order for it to make a few references to another of my CATS fanfics, "The Boatswain." "The Boatswain" is in some ways a prequel to this story, but I didn't start working on it until about a month and a-half after I finished this fanfic. So, you don't really need to read "The Boatswain" to understand this chapter. That is all.**

On the second floor, Mungojerrie managed to rendezvous with Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Rum Tum Tugger.

"Any sign of Rumpleteazer?" Munk asked him.

"No, I've b'een sea'ching ever'ywhere for 'er," answered Mungo, "No l'uck."

"Macavity's up here," Tugger informed him, "He's probably already found her."

"I think I may know how to find her," said Alonzo. He asked Mungojerrie "Whenever you took prisoners in the days when you worked for Macavity, where were they kept?"

"Right 'ere on the se'cond floo'r," Mungojerrie replied, "That's wh'ere prison'ers w'ere usually kept. But I've sea'rched through eve'ry room on th'is floor; I can't find 'er."

"Hmmm…" said Alonzo, "What about special prisoners? Were they held anywhere else?"

"Actu'ally, yes," said Mungojerrie, "Th'ere are two rooms on the thi'rd floor th'at are rese'rved for such individuals."

"Perhaps we should search there," suggested Tugger.

"Sounds like a plan," said Munkustrap, "Where are these two rooms?"

"Jus' follow meh upsta'irs," Mungojerrie led the three of them to a staircase and they all traveled up one story. When they got there, Mungo told them the location of the two rooms. This is the description he provided them with: The first room was just down this corridor and on their second right. Once there, they would have to go all the way down that hallway, and turn left. Their destination was the third room to the left. The other room was also found using this corridor, but it was on the fourth left. From there, they would need to travel down that hallway, and take another left. Then, they would need to go to the second room on the right.

When Mungojerrie was finished with the explanation, he asked "Everybody got that?"

The three other toms nodded. Munkustrap instructed them "Tugger, you and I will go to the right. Alonzo, you and Mungojerrie will go to the left. Now, let's move!"

Back downstairs, the battle raged on. Eleven of Grumbuskin's colleagues had perished in the battle. But they had managed to take twenty-six of Macavity's henchcats with them.

Grumbuskin and Genghis were still fighting each other. Both of them had managed to give each other a few scrapes and cuts, but no significant damage had been done to either of them yet.

After another minute of fighting, Genghis managed to hit Grumbuskin on the side with his blade. Grumbuskin held his paw at his side to hold his wound for a moment. Then he returned his attention to Genghis.

The Siamese cat smirked and said "I've already managed to wound you, Grumbuskin. You must accept it; the victory is mine already."

Grumbuskin, ignoring the pain in his side, rose to his full height and gripped his blade with both of his front paws. Then he said sternly "As long as I am still breathing, I will NEVER let you claim victory, Genghis!"

Genghis looked over his shoulder and saw a bunch of crates grouped in a way that they led directly to the main viewing section on the second floor.

He turned back to Grumbuskin and said "Why don't we continue this fight somewhere more… secluded from all these distractions."

Grumbuskin grinned and responded "Anytime, anyplace."

"Good," Genghis turned and ran to the piles of crates. He started climbing up them with his blade in one paw. As he climbed, he looked over his shoulder and said "The time, obviously, is now."

When he reached the main view section, he climbed onto the platform and turned around to observe the main storage unit. Then he said "And the place is up here. That is, if you think you can make it up here with that wound."

Grumbuskin continued to ignore the pain in his side, and he focused on the pile of crates. He put his blade in his teeth and started climbing up the crates. When he was about halfway up, he took his blade out of his mouth and held onto it with one hand.

However, he didn't seem to notice that Genghis had moved one of the crates to the edge of the top pile. When Grumbuskin almost reached the view section, Genghis pushed the crate down the pile. It came falling down the others piles at a remarkable speed, and Grumbuskin disappeared behind it.

At first, it seemed to all that Grumbuskin had been killed by the crate, and a smug look of satisfaction came upon Genghis' face.

But out of nowhere, Grumbuskin appeared from behind another crate and lunged at the Siamese cat, catching him off guard.

"You'll have to do better than that," Grumbuskin growled at Genghis.

By this time, Genghis was getting very impatient with Grumbuskin's persistence. "This fight has gone on long enough."

Grumbuskin noticed a rope hanging from a pulley on the third floor at the edge of the view section a few feet away. Both ends of the rope were hanging on top of the platform, and one of them was tied to a wooden beam. This gave Grumbuskin an idea. He turned his attention back to Genghis and the two of them dueled their way to the edge of the platform.

When they got there, Grumbuskin purposely made a wrong move in his tactics. Genghis moved in to attack, but when he did, Grumbuskin struck him in a very sensitive place on the neck. As a result of being hit on that spot, Genghis was left momentarily disoriented.

Grumbuskin took advantage of that opportunity and grabbed the free end of the rope. He quickly looped it around Genghis' neck twice and tied it very tightly. Then he kicked the wooden beam off of the platform. As the beam descended from the view section, the other end of the rope forced Genghis to rise into the air.

The beam hit the ground before Genghis' end of the rope could reach the pulley. When it did hit the ground, Genghis was trapped in midair. He struggled to break free of the rope, but it was tied too tightly.

A few of Genghis' crewmates saw their captain being hanged by the rope, and they rushed to his aid. Some of them tried to cut the rope on the beam. But before they could get far, it was too late. Genghis soon died of strangulation.

Grumbuskin smiled in satisfaction; his most-hated enemy was now dead, and he had avenged his late partner.

Out of nowhere, he felt a sharp pain in his back, just a few inches from his heart. He gasped in shock and pain, and brought one paw to his back. He slowly turned around to see who had attacked him, and he could not believe his eyes.

It was Griddlebone! In her right front paw, she held a bloody knife. Three of Macavity's henchcats were standing behind her. But they seemed to be standing behind her as if they were her bodyguards.

Griddlebone grinned evilly at Grumbuskin and told him sarcasstically "Sorry about that, Grumbs."

"What..." he muttered in shock, "Griddlebone, what the hell are you doing?"

She scoffed and replied "I'm just showing you where me loyalties have always truly been."

Initially, Grumbuskin was not certain what she meant. But the three henchcats standing behind Griddlebone helped to enlighten him. He said, still in shock "You're working for Macavity?"

She nodded. Twirling her blade in her paws, she stated "I'm surprised you did not discover this sooner. I mean, anyone as intelligent as you should have been able to at least label me as a suspect."

His expression became very tense. He asked her angrily "How long have you been an agent of his?"

Griddlebone started rubbing her chin, as if she was thinking up a response. However, instead of answering his question, she told him "I really enjoyed my time on the _Demagogue_, Grumbs. Seafaring can really bring out the adventure in everyone. Believe me, I had plenty of adventure because your Captain gave me free access to all the ship. As long as I did not interfere with the crew's activites, of course."

"That does not answer my question," Grumbuskin growled, glaring hostilely at the white queen.

"True," Griddlebone stated, "But you should still know why I loved being on the _Demagogue _so much. I enjoyed it because your Captain always made sure that the crew gave me plenty of breathing room. But you could argue that he gave me too much, because I was allowed access to the ship's archives and communications array. Oh, how I got into mischief with those things!"

Griddlebone paused there. Grumbuskin stood thinking about what she had just told him. He had no idea what she was implying, but he quickly started putting everything together. Before long, realization dawned on him. He looked up at Griddlebone and said very quietly "You're... the... mole?"

She slowly nodded and remarked cockily "Ya caught me, skippy!"

That entire time, Grumbuskin had been holding one of his front paws on the wound on his back, trying to stop it from bleeding excessively. But when he heard those three words, he completely ignored the pain. All he could feel at that moment was a surge of rage moving through his body.

"YOU FUCKING TWO-FACED PERSIAN BITCH!" he screamed.

Grumbuskin bared his claws and charged towards Griddlebone with the intent to kill. But right before he reached here, the three henchcats stepped up and overpowered him. Grumbuskin struggled to break free of them, but their combined force and the strain on his wound did not let him put up much resistance.

Griddlebone came a few steps closer and smirked down at the black and grey striped tom. He glared up at her and muttered angrily "Why? Why did you do it?"

She actually decided to answer this question. She began with "I feel compelled to tell you my motivations, but I do not expect you to understand them. You see, it for my children. Before my children came into this world, I loved Growltiger. I always looked forward to his weekly visits when he became an independent sailor. However, after my children were born, Growltiger became too paranoid to visit us any more. I was saddened when he stopped visiting us, but I quickly realized that my children were a perfect substitute to fill the gap he left. In fact, they meant so much more to me than that one-eyed freak ever did!"

Grumbuskin hissed hostilely at Griddlebone; he never let anyone talk about his Captain that way. Griddlebone simply went on: "I still loved Growltiger after he stopped coming, and my loyalty to him remained. So I followed his orders to keep our children in the dark, despite the fact that I was virtually drifting apart from them overtime. But when my children ran away, I was heartbroken. They meant more to me than anything. On that very day, my love for Growltiger vanished. I created two objectives on that day: Find my children and make their father pay for neglecting us. Unfortunately for me, I was neither an experienced tracker nor a professional assassin. So I had to seek out some help."

She paused her for a moment, as if to let Grumbuskin absorb everything she had said so far. He stated angrily "So let me guess: that was when you went to Macavity."

She nodded, continuing to smirk, and said "Correct. I sought out many others beforehand, but none of them were qualified to do what needed to be done. Macavity was the one tom that I was certain would not fail. The price of his services were high, but they were worth it. He gave me advanced training that only his top henchcats receive. However, he made sure that no one else ever knew I was here, so he always trained me privately. Once he was satisfied that I had mastered all the arts of criminal activity, he set his plan in motion."

She brieftly paused and then went on: "He had me contact Growltiger and inform him of how our children had disappeared. That was when he and I set up that network of cats in our attempt to locate them. Macavity had slightly helped me set up my parts of the network, but I managed a lot of it on my own. Once that was accomplished, I just waited until someone reported in that my children had been discovered. Several weeks later, somebody did find them. Once that happened, I went aboard the ship to tell Growltiger all about our plan to bring them home. The following night, there was a negotiation."

Grumbuskin remembered that night when he, Growltiger, and some of the ship's junior and senior officers had negotiated with an old friend. That was the same night he discovered that his Captain had children, and the Siamese had attempted to assassinate Growltiger.

"Macavity had fulfilled my objective of locating my children, but he did not want to assassinate Growltiger just yet," Griddlebone continued, "Before I even went to him, Macavity had tried several times to form an alliance between your crew and his organization. But of course, you never wanted anything to do with this group that went above trade negotiations."

"We were smart enough not to affiliate ourselves with the scum of the Earth," Grumbuskin harshly replied.

One of the henchcats struck Grumbuskin's wound to warn him to be quiet. Grumbuskin quietly moaned in pain and remained silent.

Griddlebone went on "After you and the others refused this offer **ten **consecutive times, he decided to seek out an alliance with Genghis instead. However, Genghis' price for such an alliance was for Macavity to help him capture the _Demagogue _and execute Growltiger. Macavity was worried that this plan would backfire, but his top henchcats did not agree, and they went through with it behind his back. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how they managed this."

Griddlebone did not have to explain that part; shortly after Growltiger's Last Stand, Grumbuskin and the other survivors had discovered that Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Flash, and Sharpie had been communicating with someone on the _Demagogue_. They had a mole on board the ship, but not even Mungo and the others knew who the mole was. In fact, Mungojerrie was the only one who even knew that Macavity had a mole on the barge. But Macavity had refused to tell him who, as he felt that it would compromise the mole's cover. Grumbuskin said angrily "Yes, I do know how you managed this. The idea to hunt down Mungojerrie and the others did sound appealing at first. But we assumed he was already dead when we heard that Macavity had thrown him out a window, and then the other three also died overtime."

"Yes, but I knew better," Griddlebone stated, "Anyway, once the war with the Siamese ended and after Growltiger sent you and those other cats down to Hampton to locate my children, I planned an assault with Mungojerrie and the others. They relayed my battle plans to Genghis and his aramada, and the massacre was planned at East Molesey."

"How can that be possible?" Grumbuskin shouted, "How could you have been so certain about everything?"

"Some of the skills Macavity had educated me in were computer-hacking, circuit sabotage, and records-modifying," she replied, "They really came in handy. My love for theatre helped, as well, as I had developed great acting skills by the time I went aboard your ship. That entire time, not one member of the crew suspected me of conspiring against your Captain. Well, except for that one crewmember. You know, Farios. But I took care of him at the Mariners' Gala."

Grumbuskin could still recall that night of celebration aboard the _Demagogue_. At first, it seemed that one of the members of the crew named Farios had gotten drunk and assualted the vessel's Third Officer and attempt to rape the officer's queenfriend. Later, it was discovered that his beverage glass had been laced beforehand with two potent drugs. Obviously, someone had drugged him deliberately. An investigation had begun, but the culprit was never caught. Grumbuskin did not even know about this until it was too late.

"So you poisoned Farios," Grumbuskin concluded.

"Indeed," Griddlebone nodded, "I did feel a little guilty when he saved me from two Siamese warriors on the night of the _Demagogue_'s assault, but not enough to regret what I had done. I was determined to see my children and make their father die. Unfortunately, only the first half came true."

Grumbuskin knew what she meant here, too. He had witnessed Growltiger walking the plank on the night of the Last Stand, but thanks to two psychics, his soul had been preserved and his body recovered. To Grumbuskin's knowledge, Growltiger was still in a very unsusual coma, but he was alive.

"I informed Macavity that Growltiger was still alive," said Griddlebone, "To my surprise, it did not bother him. As long as the Siamese did not know Growltiger was alive, the alliance between Macavity and Genghis would definitely come about. And you know the rest."

There was complete silence for a moment. Grumbuskin had so many mixed motions: Shock, interest, and hatred most notably.

Down below, the fighting had ceased a couple minutes earlier. All twenty-four of Growltiger's accomplices were dead. But a number of Macavity's henchcats and Genghis' soldiers were as well.

Griddlebone told Grumbuskin "Unlike your colleagues, you will not be killed. Macavity has something special for you."

She looked up at the three henchcats holding Grumbuskin and ordered them "Take him to the jail cells. I'll go look for Macavity and let him know that the battle has ended."

The three henchcats complied and roughly led Grumbuskin away. He looked back at Griddlebone and shouted "You won't get away with this, you bitch! You hear me? You will pay!"

She just shrugged and said "Maybe I will; maybe I won't. For now, I'll just inform my Boss about this success."

She turned around and went through a door at the end of the platform to look for Macavity.

One floor up, Macavity and Kotene were in another room on the third floor, waiting for Mungojerrie. Macavity looked outside and announced "I think I hear someone coming. I'm going to investigate."

"Alright, I'll stay here and watch Rumpleteazer," said Kotene.

Macavity left the room and travelled down the shadows. Soon, he saw Alonzo and Mungojerrie coming down the hallway. Once they passed him, he moved with lightning-fast speed in the opposite directions.

Alonzo and Mungojerrie looked over their shoulders, but they saw no one there.

"What was that?" asked Alonzo.

"I don't kn'ow," said Mungo, "May'be we're bein' watched."

"I'll check it out," said Alonzo, "You go search that room."

The white and black patched tom and the calico tom split up.

On the other side of the building, Munkustrap and Tugger came to the first room where special prisoners were kept. In there, they found six unconscious henchcats and the rest of the Jellicles that had accompanied them. Jennyanydots was helping Skimbleshanks sit up, and Coricopat and Tantomile were helping Asparagus and Jellylorum. Cassandra and Exotica were helping each other. Bombalurina was on the ground, still sobbing. Munkustrap saw Demeter across the room. She was still sitting by the chair. He ran over to her and embraced her. She returned the embrace and said "I'm glad you made it here safely."

When they came apart, Munkustrap asked "What happened in here?"

"We found Rumpleteazer," she enlightened her mate, "But soon Kotene and these bastards paid us a little visit." She gestured around at the unconscious henchcats. "Then Macavity came along and he and Kotene moved Rumple to another room. We tried to defend her, but Macavity was too strong."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm proud of you for trying," Munkustrap tried to comfort his mate.

Tugger noticed Bombalurina was crying on the ground. He went over to her and helped her sit up. "Bomby, what's wrong?"

"When Macavity was here," Demeter told him, "He said some very hurtful things to her. Things about her body."

"Why would he do that?" asked Munkustrap.

"He couldn't bring himself to physically harm her," said Demeter, "So he emotionally harmed her instead."

Bombalurina slowly opened her eyes. When she saw that Tugger was right in front of her, she turned her head away and told him "Don't look at me, Tugger. I'm disgusting."

"No, you're not," said Tugger, "I want you to forget about what Macavity told you. They were lies; nothing but pure, shameless lies. You're beautiful, Bomby. You're the most beautiful queen I ever laid eyes on."

Bombalurina slowly looked up at him and asked "Do you mean that?"

"I may be a queen's tom," said Tugger, "But I would never lie to you about that."

Bombalurina slowly brought a grin on her face, and said "Thank you, Tugger."

"I'd hate to interrupt your moment," said Munkustrap sarcastically, "But in case you've forgotten, we're in the middle of a rescue operation!"

"Oh, right," both Tugger and Bombalurina blushed a little.

"I'm going to go meet up with Alonzo and Mungojerrie," Munkustrap announced, "Tugger, I want you to start getting everybody out of here through the secret passageway. Once Alonzo, Mungojerrie, and I have rescued Rumpleteazer, we'll join you."

"But what about Grumbuskin and the others?" asked Tugger.

"Mungojerrie told me that they want to go down fighting," said Munkustrap, "I feel that we should not intervene with their wishes. After all, having a noble death is all they wished for."

"Alright," said Tugger, somewhat reluctantly, though.

Munkustrap hugged Demeter and told her "Alonzo, Mungojerrie, and I will get out of here as soon as we have rescued Rumpleteazer."

"Okay," she agreed, "We'll be waiting for you."

Back on the other side of the building, Kotene was still keeping an eye on Rumpleteazer. As he watched her, he took a few moments to study her figure.

"For a queen that just recently entered adulthood, you certainly have a remarkably attractive physique," he told her.

Rumpleteazer tried to say "Back off, creep" through her gag, but all that came out was "Ba' of, cre."

Kotene eyed Rumpleteazer in a rather libidinous manner. He stroked her cheek and said "I myself do not have a mate. Perhaps after we have killed Mungojerrie, I could convince Macavity to let me keep you for myself."

Rumpleteazer shuddered at Kotene's touch. She just kicked him in the chest with her hind legs as hard as she could. Kotene recoiled in pain and held onto his chest. Then he turned back to Rumple with angry eyes and sneered "You're going to wish you didn't do that."

He stood up on his hind legs and approached her. He grabbed onto her neck with one of his front paws and raised the other paw into the air. Once he had bared his claws, he said "I will be sure to teach you respect. Let's start with lesson number one."

Just then, something short and shiny flew through the room. It hit Kotene squarely in the neck. Kotene immediately let go of Rumpleteazer and grasped his neck with his front paws. He fell backwards and gasped for breath.

Rumpleteazer looked closer at Kotene, and saw that a small blade had pierced his neck. She turned around to see who had thrown the blade. To her immense relief, it was Mungojerrie!

Mungo stepped inside and said "First lesson, Kotene: Never, ever, EVER threaten my mate!"

Kotene tried to breathe, but the blade had hit him in just the right spot. In less than fifteen seconds, he died.

So Mungojerrie could kill another cat after all. He just needed the proper motivation. In this case, his motivation was protecting his mate.

Once Kotene was dead, Mungojerrie looked at Rumpleteazer. He ran towards her and hugged her tightly, saying "Th'ank t'he Eve'lasting Cat you're alr'ight."

When he pulled himself away, he was about to start untying Rumple, but a look of utter terror came across her face. She tried to shout something at Mungo, but her gag suppressed her words.

"Rumple, wh'at's wrong?" he asked her.

Mungo managed to make out the words "Behind you" and he turned around. The next thing he saw was a paw going straight for his face. Mungojerrie ducked just in time and moved Rumpleteazer out of harm's way.

When he recovered, Mungojerrie saw that the paw belonged to Macavity.

"You didn't have to take the matter this far, Mungojerrie," said Macavity, "Grumbuskin and his men did not have to become involved."

"Well, t'hey decided ta become invo'lved," said Mungo, "and you decided ta t'ake the matte' this far when you kid'napped Teazeh."

"I really don't like your tone," Mac said hostilely, "It's time to silence you… for good."

Before Macavity could make a move, Alonzo appeared at the door and ran up behind him. He jumped onto his father, forcing him onto the ground.

"You'll have to go through me first it you want to harm Mungojerrie!" he shouted.

Macavity pushed Alonzo off him, and turned his attention towards him.

"I do not wish to fight you, Alonzo," Macavity told his son.

"Too late for that," said Alonzo, "You instigated this situation, and now it's time to resolve it."

Alonzo and Macavity started fighting each other, throwing vicious blows and attacks.

Mungojerrie managed to untie Rumpleteazer's gag as they fought. He then moved to untie her paws.

"H'old still, Rumple," he told his mate, "I'll 'ave you fr'ee as soon as poss'ible."

Mungojerrie tried as hard as he could, but he could not loosen the knots.

Right then, Macavity lifted Alonzo off the ground and threw him directly towards the wall. Alonzo hit the wall and dropped to the ground. Very soon, he drifted into unconsciousness.

"Alonzo!" shouted Mungojerrie in concern as he watched the black and white tom pass out.

Mungo turned his attention to Macavity. He glared at him in great anger and muttered in hatred "Now you're rea'lly going ta pay. Wh'at kind of fathe' does th'at to his son?"

"Estranged son," Macavity corrected him, "Besides, I'm not the one you should be 'scolding.' I did say that I did not wish to fight Alonzo, but he refused to stand down."

Unable to control himself, Mungojerrie charged toward Macavity with both his fangs and claws bared. Mungojerrie was determined to make Macavity suffer for the way he had treated Alonzo.

As the two toms fought, Rumpleteazer struggled to break free of her restraints. In that process, her eyes fell across the blade that was still lodged in Kotene's neck. She started crawling over to Kotene's corpse, and turned her back to it. Then she looked over her shoulder and reached for the blade with her bound front paws. She managed to grab hold of it and she pulled it out. Then she started to use the blade to cut through the rope.

As she did this, Mungojerrie and Macavity continued to fight each other, throwing very harmful blows.

"It's nice to see that you've at least retained your vengeance trait," said Macavity as they fought, "It's evidence enough that the Jellicles have not turned you soft completely."

"The Jehllicles are mo're of a fam'ily to meh than you eve'r w'ere!" shouted Mungojerrie.

Macavity sneered and said "You think you will ever actually fit in with them? No, you'll never fully belong there."

"Well, you lived with 'em fo'r much of you'r life!" said Mungojerrie as he threw his paw at Macavity's neck.

"At least I was born into the tribe," said Macavity, "In fact, you're the only member of the entire tribe that was not born into it."

Right then, Macavity tripped Mungojerrie and forced him onto the ground. He pinned him down and raised his claws up into the air.

"This time, I'll let you be reunited with your first family," said Macavity, "You'll get to see if they wound up in either heaven or hell."

Just before Macavity could strike down Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer had managed to cut free of her bonds. She jumped to her hind feet and lunged at Macavity, making him lose his balance and fall over.

While Macavity was on the ground, Rumpleteazer went to Mungojerrie and helped him to his feet.

"You don't m'ind if I jo'in into t'he fray, do ya?" she asked her mate lightheartedly.

"Oh, I don't m'ind at all," he smiled at her.

Macavity rose to his feet, and he saw both of the notorious cats were standing in front of him.

He grimaced at them, but quickly smirked and said "Well, this should prove to be most exhilarating."


	19. Freewill

Note: This chapter is the longest one yet.

On the other side of the third floor, Rum Tum Tugger had managed to help Skimbleshanks up, and together, they escorted the other Jellicles to the room with the secret passage. Despite the good Tugger's words had done her, Bombalurina was still deep in her stupor of emotional agony, so she had to be given helping hands by Jellylorum and Cassandra on the way out.

Once everybody else was through the passage, Tugger told Skimble "I need you to get everybody back to the Junkyard as quickly as possible. I'll be along shortly."

When Tugger turned around to go back into the room, Skimble placed his paw on his shoulder and asked him "Just where do you think you're off to?"

Tugger turned back to the orange tabby and told him "I'm going back. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer will need my help."

"They've already got Munkustrap and Alonzo helping them," Skimble pointed out.

"I know," said Tugger, "But that might not be enough. If there's one thing I know about Macavity, it's that he is not to be underestimated. And suppose that he has some of his henchcats back him up!"

"Well, Macavity has been known to be very resourceful," Skimble agreed. He then looked up at Tugger and told him "Alright, Tugger. If you want to go back to help the others, that's fine with me. But Jenny and I are staying at the outside entrance of the secret passage until you and the others arrive."

"That seems like a reasonable arrangement, Skimble," Tugger smiled, "So, I guess I'll see you all in a little while."

"We'll be here," Skimble assured him.

Tugger nodded, turned around, and went back into the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Macavity was facing off both Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Both of the Notorious Cats had their eyes totally focused on the Mystery Cat.

"Rumple, you c'ut to t'he left," Mungojerrie instructed his mate, "I'll c'ut to t'he r'ight."

"Got it," she said.

All three of the cats maintained their distance from each other, and then Mungo said "Five… fou'r… th'ree… two… NOW!"

Almost simultaneously, he and Rumple charged towards Macavity. Another great struggle ensued, and many blows were exchanged between the two and the one. The ginger cat's strength surpassed the strength of both of the calico cats put together, but Mungo and Rumple had a few tricks up their sleeves.

Rumpleteazer spat into Macavity's eye, momentarily blinding him. Mungojerrie took advantage of that opportunity and knocked Macavity out of balance. However, Macavity quickly recovered and grabbed Rumpleteazer by her front leg. When Mungojerrie came around to deliver another blow, Macavity pushed Rumple towards him. The two tiger-striped cats collided with each other and dropped to the ground.

"Got a'hny othe'r ideas?" Rumple asked as they both struggled to their feet.

"I'm jus' gettin' wa'rmed up," Mungo responded brightly.

"You're just getting warmed up now?" Macavity said sardonically as he stood at his full height and tightly clenched his front paws in each other. As he walked back and forth in front of the two calicos, Macavity sneered and said "I'm not even close to getting warmed up."

"Good," Mungo grinned. Then he and Rumple attacked Macavity at the same time again.

As he walked through the corridors trying to retrace his steps, something abruptly caught his attention. A sound of sorts could be heard from his position. He stopped and made an effort to discern what the sound was. After listening closely for about twenty seconds, Tugger determined that it was the sound of paw-steps. Based on the pattern and the noise frequency of the paw-steps, Tugger was able to deduce that they were the paw-steps of a queen; say, an early middle-aged queen. And they were approaching him fast.

Tugger quickly looked around for a place to hide. He tried to open up the doors in the corridor, but all of them were locked.

"Come on, come on, come on," he muttered impatiently under his breath after unsuccessfully attempting to open what felt like the fourteenth door in that corridor.

Just then, his eyesight came across a corner in the hallway that was completely covered in shadows. He rushed over to that spot and remained there, staying absolutely still.

As the paw-steps got closer, he heard a voice call out: "Hey, Macavity!"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar to Tugger. It was definitely a queen's voice, but he was unsure as to which queen the voice belonged to.

The same voice shouted out: "Hey, Mac, it's over! We've won!"

"'Won?'" Tugger whispered to himself, "What does she mean by 'won?'"

The voice soon called out "I'm afraid Genghis is dead. But Grumbuskin has been capture and all of his men are dead."

_Oh, no_. Tugger thought to himself. _If Grumbuskin's been taken captive and all of his company are dead, then it won't take long until this entire warehouse is swarming with henchcats. Uh-oh, that person's almost here!_

Right then, the paw-steps reached the corridor Tugger was hiding in. A single cat came walking into the hallway. As Tugger had expected, it was an early middle-aged queen walking on her hind feet. But it was not just any early middle-aged queen. It was Griddlebone!

Griddlebone held a blood-soaked blade in her paw. It dripped the fresh blood on it at a steady rate. Upon discovering the Persian queen was the one that was calling Macavity, Tugger's jaw dropped in surprise. He quickly realized that Griddlebone had been working as a double agent for Macavity behind Grumbuskin's back.

Griddlebone called out "You'll be pleased to know that I disabled Grumbuskin myself!" She chuckled and then continued "You should've seen the look on his face when he realized I was working for you. It was priceless, Mac!"

At that moment, Griddlebone was passing right by Tugger. She turned into the next corner, and then Tugger started creeping up behind her.

"I just hope you can give Mungojerrie what he deserves for all the trouble he's caused us," Griddlebone called out, "If you do find him, you should make him die a slow and painful dea-"

She did not have an opportunity to finish her sentence. Right then, Tugger had come up directly behind Griddlebone, put his front paws together, and whacked her on the backside of the head. Griddlebone dropped onto her knees and fell flat onto her face, dropping her blade. Then she quickly drifted into unconsciousness.

Tugger took a moment to inspect the white Persian queen, and to make sure that she was unconscious. When he was satisfied that she was out cold, he turned around and rushed through the corridors, searching everywhere for Munkustrap and the others. He didn't shout out to find them; he did not want to risk discovering the hard way that another of Macavity's henchcats was in earshot on that floor.

As he frantically searched, Tugger muttered to himself "This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. Very fucking bad."

A few corridors down, Munkustrap had just arrived in the room where Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were engaged in combat with Macavity. Always being quick to intervene in a fight, Munk jumped in and pushed Macavity away from the calicos.

"I see I arrived just in time," he said to Mungo and Rumple.

"We're jus' glad ya dec'ided to jo'in us," Rumple said half-sarcastically, half-sternly.

"Yes," Macavity growled menacingly as he rose to his feet, "With you here, Munk, it will mean fifty percent more excitement for me now!"

Munkustrap and Mungojerrie faced Macavity together. Rumpleteazer took that opportunity to wait until she could Macavity demonstrated some form of vulnerability.

Munkustrap attacked first. He waved one of his front paws at Macavity twice. Macavity responded by grabbing Munk's front leg and flipping him over his head.

Mungojerrie attacked immediately after this. He grabbed onto one of Macavity's hind feet and attempted to throw him onto his back. Before he count hit the ground, Macavity did a cartwheel and landed back on his hind feet. Then he threw one of his hind feet behind Mungojerrie's hind feet and brought it forward, tripping him in the process.

Rumpleteazer then ran up behind Macavity and jumped onto his back, trying to make him lose his balance. Macavity just grabbed onto her front paw and pulled her over his shoulders. As a result, Rumple landed on the ground totally on her back.

Munkustrap and Mungojerrie quickly returned to attacking Macavity at the same time. Rumpleteazer was about to assist them, but then her eyes fell across the partially-shredded ropes that had been used to tie her front paws together. She went over to them and examined them. Most of them were still pretty short, but one particular piece was long enough to be wrapped around someone's neck. Twice.

This gave Rumple an idea. She picked up the piece of rope and turned back to the others. Then, she waited for the opportunity to implement her idea.

After about a minute, that opportunity came. Munkustrap had managed to strike Macavity using a roundhouse kick. Mac quickly retaliated by thrusting his paw into Munkustrap's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Mungojerrie waved his paws at Macavity several times, but Macavity simply dodged Mungo, struck him in the side, and forced him onto the ground. It was then that Rumple spotted her opportunity.

Macavity had had his back to Rumple right at that moment. She ran up behind him with the thin piece of rope in her paws and jumped onto his back. Working very quickly, Rumple took the rope and tied it around Macavity's neck once. Then she pulled tightly on both ends of the rope.

Macavity struggled to get Rumpleteazer off of him. He tried to swipe his front paws over his shoulders to strike her, but she managed to avoid his blows. Macavity tried to shake Rumple off, but she held on even tighter. Macavity even backed into the walls a few times. Rumple gave a brief yelp of pain a few times, but she refused to let go of Macavity.

Munkustrap and Mungojerrie watched in awe at Rumpleteazer's persistence. They could tell that she was seriously determined to bring Macavity down.

The other two toms rushed to her assistance. They struck any part of Macavity that could reach without having to worry about retaliation. Macavity struggled to focus on all three of the Jellicles at once, but soon, he was overwhelmed by their combined force. Rumpleteazer pulled the rope just a little tighter, and then the fight was over.

Macavity dropped to all fours and then fell face flat onto the floor. Rumpleteazer remained on top of him that whole time.

After ten seconds, Rumple slowly unwound the rope on Macavity's neck and pulled it away.

She, Mungojerrie, and Munkustrap stared at Macavity. He may have looked harmless at that moment, but all three of the Jellicles knew better than to let their guard down.

Mungojerrie and Munkustrap slowly knelt down next to Macavity and carefully turned him over onto his back. Then they backed up a few steps for their own safety.

"Is 'e d'ead?" asked Rumple.

Munkustrap looked closely at Macavity's chest, and he realized that his heart and pulse were still registering.

At that same time, Mungojerrie looked up and saw Alonzo, who was still out cold against the wall. At the sight of that, Mungo's rage was quickly revived.

"No, he's only unconscious," Munk announced, "He's not dead."

Mungo turned around and saw that the small blade he had used to kill Kotene and Rumple had used to free herself was still on the ground. He marched over to the blade and picked it up. Then he turned around and said "W'ell, Munk, th'at's e'asy ta fix."

Rumpleteazer and Munkustrap looked over at Mungojerrie in confusion. "What do you mean, Mungo?" inquired the latter.

Mungojerrie just stormed towards Macavity on his hind feet with the small blade in his right front paw. When he reached Macavity's unconscious figure, he started to raise his right paw into the air. When his right paw was as high as it could go, Mungo said to Macavity through gritted teeth "It's t'ime fo'r you to get wh'at's coming to you, ya wo'thless sack of Po'llicle sh'it!"

Mungojerrie brought his right front leg down with the blade in his paw, but before the blade could reach Macavity's neck, Munkustrap grabbed Mungo's arm and shouted frantically "No, Mungo! No!"

Mungojerrie struggled to overcome Munkustrap's resistance, but the black and silver tabby would not yield. "L'et go of mah l'eg, Munk," said Mungo.

"I will not," said Munkustrap, holding on even tighter to Mungo's front leg, "Mungo, don't do this!"

"W'hy not?" asked Mungojerrie angrily.

"Killing Macavity won't solve anything," said Munk.

"W'ell, lett'ing h'im live won't, eith'er!" Mungo argued, continuing to fight against Munkustrap's powerful grip.

"Mungo, have you forgotten the original plan?" asked Munkustrap as he remained holding on tightly to Mungojerrie's front leg. "The original plan was just about saving Rumpleteazer."

"Th'at is t'rue," Mungo agreed, "But t'he orig'inal plan did not conside'r the possib'ility of Mac'avity bein' unconscious and at ou'r me'rcy!"

"I know that," said Munk, "However, your preliminary version of the plan did not involve this much bloodshed, either."

"Mac's t'he one th'at's respon'sible fo'r all th'is bloods'hed!" Mungojerrie shouted, still struggling to attack Macavity.

"I believe enough blood has been spilled today!" said Munkustrap as he continued to hold back the calico tom.

"W'ell, wh'at a'bout Alonzo?" Mungojerrie countered, gesturing to the unconscious black and white patched tom. "Shou'dn't Mac be fo'rced to pay fo'r wh'at 'e did to h'is own son?"

"Rumple, go check out Alonzo and let me know about his condition," Munkustrap ordered the tiger-striped queen.

Rumpleteazer went over to Alonzo and checked him for his heart rate and pulse. After discovering that both of them were just about normal, she turned to Munk and told him "He's f'ine. Jus' a few bumps an' bru'ises. Nothin' th'at my moth'er cannot cu're in an 'eartbeat."

"Good, thank you, Teazer" Munkustrap turned his full attention back to Mungojerrie. He said to him "Did you hear that, Jerrie? Alonzo's going to be alright."

By now, Mungo was getting somewhat desperate. He told Munkustrap "Munk, don't ya get it? I 'ave to kill Mac'avity."

"Why?" asked Munkustrap sternly "Why do you have to kill him? What good would come of killing him?"

"As long as 'e lives, the memo'ries of th'is place will 'aunt meh for'eveh!" Mungojerrie explained.

"What makes you so certain that the memory of taking away another person's life will not haunt you?" said Munkustrap.

"I alr'eady h'ave killed some'one!" shouted Mungojerrie, "You see Kot'ene ove' th'ere? I k'illed 'im wh'en he tr'ied to h'urt Rumple!"

"Yes, but you had the proper motivation at the time," Munkustrap pointed out, "You acted to protect your mate from harm. In this scenario, you have no truly justifiable reason to kill Macavity while he's unconscious."

"Munk, fo'r cryin' out loud, it's Mac'avity we're talkin' a'bout 'ere!" Mungo tried to emphasize to the Jellicle Protector, "Don't t'ell meh ya don't th'ink 'e deser'ves justice!"

"Of course I think he deserves justice," Munkustrap admitted honestly, "But we're not in a position to decide what form of justice should be utilized."

"Munk, t'he way I see it, we'd be doin' th'is city a favo'r," said Mungojerrie.

"Yes, but what about ourselves?" said Munkustrap. "Mungo, if Macavity's henchcats were to discover that their boss was dead – or even missing – they would stop at nothing until they avenged him. I am absolutely certain that they would launch a full-scale assault on the Jellicle Junkyard until everyone there was dead."

"I don't th'ink you'll 'ave to worry a'bout th'at any time soon, Munk," said Mungo, "If I know Grumbuskin, 'e and h'is men will 'ave managed to kill nea'ly half of the 'enchcats and wound m'any of the rest."

"Even if that were the case," said Munk, "There is still one thing you must take into account."

"And wh'at m'ight th'at be?" queried Mungo.

"Our thoughts on this matter," Munkustrap answered straightforwardly, "Did you take a moment to consider how we feel about what you plan to do to him?"

At those words, Mungojerrie eased down a little bit. Subsequently, Munkustrap loosened his grip on Mungo's front leg a modicum.

There was total silence for a few seconds. Then Mungo answered "No, no I did not t'ake you'r opinion inta acc'ount, Munk."

Munkustrap said calmly "In that case, let me tell you my opinion: As I told you before, I want Macavity to be given justice. But not in this manner; not by his former partner who is under the impression that he is achieving some form of redemption through an act of murder."

Mungo scoffed and said "You th'ink I'm doin' th'is for redem'ption? You to'ld meh long a'go th'at I redeemed meh-self. I'm inclined to be'lieve that you wou'd neve'r lie to meh a'bout th'ings like th'at. No, Munk, I'm doin' this to end Mac's reign of terr'or."

Munkustrap just turned to Rumpleteazer and asked her "What about you, Rumple? Tell your mate your thoughts on this matter."

Rumple looked Mungo straight in the eye and told him "Be'lieve meh, Mungo. I'd l'ike to see Mac'avity dead as m'uch as you wou'd, but I wou'dn't want you to be t'he one who k'ills 'im. And not l'ike th'is; th'is jus' seems wrong to meh."

When he heard those words from his mate, Mungojerrie eased down considerably. Munkustrap then released his front leg and stood back.

"If you still wish to kill Macavity, go on and go through with it," he said. "I will not stop you. And I trust you won't either, Rumple?"

Realizing where Munkustrap was going with this, Rumpleteazer nodded and said "I won't inte'fere."

Mungojerrie looked straight at Macavity's unconscious figure. Then he gazed at the weapon in his front paw. After focusing on the blade, he looked back at Macavity. Munkustrap said from the side "The choice is entirely yours, Mungojerrie."

Mungo slowly started to raise his front paw into the air with the blade in hand. Rumpleteazer watched her mate intently; she was dreading the tension as he made his decision about what to do next.

Finally, he made his decision. Mungojerrie brought the blade down. He brought it down… into both his paws. Then he snapped the blade in half and threw the halves across the room.

He gave a shout of frustration and dropped to his knees. Munkustrap quickly came to his side and helped him remain upright. Mungo just kneeled on the ground, breathing deeply and staring at Macavity.

When he regained his breath, Mungo said "Some'day, Mac'avity will rec'ieve justice fo'r h'is crimes. But it will not be to'day. An' not by my paw!"

Munkustrap and Rumpleteazer smiled at Mungojerrie. Rumple ran over to him and embraced him tightly. Without any hesitation, Mungo hugged her back, holding her affectionately.

Conveniently, at that exact time, Rum Tum Tugger arrived at the door to the room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone was accounted for. He stepped inside and said "Thank the Everlasting Cat you guys are alright."

"How nice of you to join us, Tugger," said Munkustrap, "Did everyone get out safely?"

"Yes," answered Tugger, "We're the last ones to leave. I'd suggest that we get out of here immediately."

"Alright, we'll get out of here as soon as we get Grumbuskin and the others," Munkustrap decided.

"No, we have to leave now," said Tugger.

"Why?" asked Munkustrap. "Why can't we get Grumbuskin and his crew?"

"Because they're all dead," Tugger responded, "Except for Grumbuskin; he's been taken prisoner."

"Wh'at?" Mungojerrie looked up in shock, "H'ow do ya know th'at?"

Tugger briefly but coherently explained his encounter with Griddlebone down the corridor to the others. When he was finished, Mungojerrie looked like he was about to explode in anger.

"Th'at trea'cherous b'itch!" he shouted, "H'ow cou'd she bet'ray he'r late mate's own c'rew?"

"Well, people only say that Griddlebone '"seemed" enraptured by Growltiger's manly baritone,'" Tugger pointed out. "Perhaps she was working with Macavity this entire time."

"I'm su're th'at Mac wou'd've told meh a'bout 'er if th'at was the case," said Mungo, "Th'en again, it cou'd be possible th'at Mac saw 'er as a nonexp'endable cont'act, and 'e saw it id'eal to keep 'er a sec'ret from eve'ryone else, including meh."

"Well, whatever his reasons, we can discuss them later," said Tugger, "Right now, we have to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible."

"Tugg'er's right," Rumple agreed, "I don't w'ant you guys to 'ave ri'sked you'r lives fo'r meh fo'r nothin'."

Munkustrap went over to Alonzo and threw his left front leg over his shoulders. He turned to the others and asked them "Can one of you give me a hand with Alonzo?"

Tugger went over to give his brother a hand with his nephew. He put Alonzo's right front leg over his shoulders and said "Alright, we've got him. Now let's get the HELL out of here."

Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Alonzo, Munkustrap, and Rum Tum Tugger hastily made their way back to the room with the secret passage. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer pushed the crate to the side. First Munkustrap and Tugger went through, carrying Alonzo with them. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer followed, making sure to push the crate back into position before they left.

At the other end of the passageway, they met up with Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots. Together, the seven Jellicles ran as fast as they could back to the Jellicle Junkyard.

…

When they got back home, they were welcomed with enthusiastic cheers and embraces.

By that time, Alonzo had regained consciousness. Munkustrap and the others discovered that Quaxo had regained consciousness as well. The other Jellicles filled the two toms in on everything they had missed regarding their father's activities that night.

Demeter and Jellylorum informed Rum Tum Tugger that Bombalurina was still emotionally distraught about the insults Macavity had given her. Tugger went to her to make her feel better, and to comfort her by pointing out that she did not possess any of the "flaws" that Macavity found on her. Sure enough, this plan worked out wonderfully.

Some of the members of the tribe were worried that Macavity would come back very soon, but Munkustrap and Mungojerrie reassured them that he would not do so. They had two very good reasons for this: One, Macavity's numbers had suffered tremendous losses (Thanks to Grumbuskin and his crew). And two, because Mungo and the others had spared Macavity's life, he was obliged to temporarily give them a break. Despite that this seemed to be uncharacteristically benign on Macavity's part, both Mungo and Munk knew how Mac's mind worked, and Macavity worked from his own complex code.

Jennyanydots and Jellylorum took the time to heal everybody's injuries, which, fortunately, were not as bad as they had anticipated them to be.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were about to turn in for the night. But first, they decided to spend some time talking with everybody else about what had just happened.

"You kno', w'hen I 'elped G'enghis set up th'at amb'ush on Growlt'iger's barge, I kn'ew th'at Mac 'ad a mole on th'at ship," Mungojerrie told everyone, "He neve' told us h'ow it w'as, so we jus' made up spec'ulations. But neve' fo'r a mo'ment did I suspec' th'at it wou'd be Gr'iddlebone."

"I still can't believe she was working for Macavity this whole time," said Tugger.

"Nor can I," said Alonzo, "I mean, I distinctly remember seeing her kill one of his henchcats during the battle."

"You do?" said Mungojerrie.

Alonzo nodded. "It was just before we went upstairs to assist you in your search, Mungo."

Mungojerrie took a moment to think about this piece of news. Then he asked Alonzo "Do you 'appen to re'call wh'at the 'enchcat looked l'ike?"

In fact, Alonzo vividly remembered the henchcat's appearance. It was a female henchcat, and her coat was composed of shades of black, grey, and white.

As Alonzo went on describing the henchcat, Mungojerrie sat thinking. Then he told Alonzo "I w'ant you ta th'ink v'ery h'ard about th'is: Do you by ahny ch'ance re'call if th'is 'enchcat was missin' two of 'er whisk'ers - spec'ifically t'he top left a'nd middle right ones?"

Alonzo did his best to think about this, and he managed to recall that the henchcat Griddlebone had killed WAS missing two of her whiskers.

When he got his answer, Mungojerrie scoffed, sat back, and told the others "Th'is confirms mah sus'picions. I kn'ow who it w'as Griddlebone killed."

"You do?" asked Demeter.

"Yes," Mungojerrie nodded, "'er name w'as Lucille."

"H'ow is it you remembe' 'er so well?" inquired Rumpleteazer.

Mungojerrie scoffed again and told the others "I remembe' 'er fr'om the days I wo'rked with Mac'avity. It's actu'ally h'ard to FO'RGET 'er."

"How so?" said Bombalurina.

"Lucille w'as per'haps the most incompet'ent membe' of o'ur organi'zation," Mungo enlightened the others, "It s'eemed like she could neve' do anythin' r'ight. She f'ound a way ta sc'rew up jus' about eve'ry task she was given, and s'he couldn't compl'ete ahny cr'ime on 'er own."

"You almost sound as if you were expecting Lucille to be the one Griddlebone killed, even before I told you," Alonzo noted.

"W'ell, you s'ee, I h'ave a rea'sonable the'ory about th'at," said Mungo, "Mac must 'ave anti'cipated that somethin' l'ike th'at battle w'as going to h'appen in the futu're, and if such an ev'ent w'ere to occ'ur, he must h'ave w'anted to forst'all ahny suspicion a'bout Griddlebone's trea'chery. H'e must h'ave dec'ided th'at the best w'ay to do th'at would be for her to k'ill one of h'is 'enchcats."

"That would certainly eliminate MY suspicion," Jennyanydots nodded, before adding "For a while, at least."

"Any'way," Mungo went on, "Th'at bein' said, if th'at w'as Mac's stra'tegy, he m'ust have w'anted to use some'one insignifi'cant as the scap'egoat. 'Cause kn'owing h'im, 'e wouldn't h'ave anyone impor'tant killed off unl'ess it w'as absolute'ly necess'ary. So he p'icked Lucille."

There was a few moments of silence. Then Skimbleshanks said "One must admit; even though that is a cruel strategy to utilize, it is a rather brilliant one."

The others agreed with him. Then Munkustrap said "Quite frankly, Mungo, based on what you told us about Lucille, it's a wonder Macavity ever approved her entrance into his gang."

"I kn'ow EX'ACTLY wh'at you mean, Munk," said Mungo, "I c'an actu'ally rec'all th'at I approa'ched Mac at le'ast twice and asked h'im to conside' th'rowing Lucille out of the gr'oup. But both t'imes, he dism'issed my requ'ests. He t'old me th'at he h'ad a feeling th'at Lucille would be of use to h'im some'day."

Mungo paused for a moment, and then he said "L'ooks like h'e was r'ight... unfor'tunately."

The others noted that Mungo seemed somewhat sad when he said that last word.

"Did you know Lucille well?" asked Asparagus.

"Not v'ery," said Mungo, "But s'he w'as a lot like meh. She was bo'rn on t'he str'eets, h'er fam'ily struggled fo'r sur'vival, 'er par'ents died wh'en she was v'ery young, as well. I endu'red all of those things. Only, Lucille h'ad it even wo'rse than meh."

"In what ways?" asked Jellylorum.

"W'ell, b'ased on wh'at she told meh and the oth'ers, afte' h'er mother died, h'er fathe' was v'ery hostile," Mungo explained further, "He abu'sed h'er often, both phys'ically and... ugh, I'd rathe' not t'alk a'bout that."

"I understand what you mean," said Demeter.

"Any'way, Lucille told us th'at s'he off'ered her fathe' no res'istance, as she w'as too afr'aid a'bout h'ow he wou'd re'act," Mungo went on, "Th'en, one day, she got some self-res'pect and st'ood up for 'erself. Her fathe' star'ted to get vio'lent, but she fou'ght b'ack. Th'at's h'ow she l'ost h'er two whisk'ers, you s'ee. She m'anaged to k'ill her fath'er befo're he cou'd hu'rt her anym'ore."

"What happened after that?" asked Bombalurina.

"W'ell, Lucille under'went anothe' stage I w'ent through," said Mungo, "S'he was fendin' f'or 'erself on the str'eets for sev'eral weeks. Th'en one day, w'hen he was sco'uting ar'ound, Mac met h'er. I'm n'ot cer'tain a'bout the cir'cumst'ances of their intro'duction to each othe', but Mac dec'ided to recr'uit her."

Just then, Mungojerrie's eyes shot up. Noticing this sudden movement, Rumpleteazer asked her mate "Wh'at is it, Mungo?"

"W'ell, Rumple," he explained, "Now th'at I th'ink a'bout it, I bet th'at... Mac'avity act'ually took p'ity on Lucille th'at day."

"Really?" said Munkustrap. He and the others knew full well that it was not in Macavity's nature to feel sympathy for others.

"Th'at s'eems to be t'he only rea'sonable explan'ation," Mungo pointed out, "I m'ean, as I told you bef'ore, she defin'itely did not h'ave much aptit'ude f'or the life of a crim'inal."

"Well, that being said, it's a shame that she had to die while serving under the tom that took her in," said Munkustrap, "But at the same time, her death came about because she was unknowingly betrayed by the same tom."

Just then, Rum Tum Tugger got up and kicked the nearest piece of junk - an empty toolbox full of dents - as hard as he could. He watched as it flew through the air a considerable distance before falling back to the ground.

The others looked at him in alarm, and they saw an expression of anger on the Maine Coon's face.

"Is everything alright, Tugger?" Munkustrap asked his younger brother.

Tugger turned to the other Jellicles and said through gritted teeth "I was there when Griddlebone came up to the third floor alone. But I only knocked her out! I should have killed that bitch when I had the chance!"

Mungojerrie stood up and said "Tugg'er, I kn'ow h'ow you f'eel. B'ut you sh'ouldn't let th'ose thou'ghts corr'upt you."

"What do you mean?" asked Tugger.

Munkustrap explained "Just before you arrived, Mungojerrie had the opportunity to kill Macavity while he was unconscious. He tried to kill him, but Rumpleteazer and I stopped him."

"You did?" Tugger said, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, we d'id," said Rumpleteazer, "Beli'eve meh, the ch'ance was temptin', but at the t'ime, it st'ill s'eemed mo're like murde' than just'ice."

"So, they actually stopped you from killing Macavity, Mungo?" asked Alonzo.

"Oh, no," said Mungo, "Th'ey left th'at choice up to meh, but f'irst th'ey gave meh a few w'ords of encour'agement. In the end, I dec'ided to sp'are Mac'avity's life."

"In an ambiguous way, that's rather noble of you," said Skimbleshanks.

"Th'anks, Skimble," said Mungo, "But I jus' hope I won't c'ome to reg'ret my dec'ision in the fut'ure."

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Demeter.

Everybody decided to change the subject of the conversation. They continued talking together for a long while. Finally, Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie decided to turn in for the night.

After saying goodnight to everybody, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer retreated to their den. Once there, Mungo picked up the pearl necklace and, turning to his mate, said "I be'lieve you fo'rgot th'is."

She smiled and said "I do be'lieve you're r'ight."

Then Rumple turned around to allow Mungojerrie to attach the clasp of the necklace around her neck. This he did professionally and delicately. When he was done, she turned back around to him and they kissed each other on the lips.

The two of them were exhausted by that night's events. But as they lay down on their bed next to each other, they were just happy to be back in each other's arms. After nuzzling up to each other, they entered a state of pure relaxation. Very soon, they both gave into their drowsiness and fell into a peaceful slumber.

…

Several hours later, Macavity regained consciousness in the hideout's infirmary. He saw that Griddlebone was sitting up on the bed next to him.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she told him, "I don't know what – or who – hit me."

"We found her unconscious in the second-most west corridor," one of the henchcats that was trained in medicine explained to his boss, "It wasn't long after that when we found you."

Macavity massaged the sides of his neck with his paws. Then he looked over at Griddlebone and asked her "Well, how did it turn out?"

"How did what turn out?" she asked.

"The battle," he clarified.

"Well, we won," she told him.

"But it was a pyrrhic victory," said another henchcat in the room, who was one of the main record-keepers. That henchcat looked at a piece of paper he was holding in his paw and said "We managed to kill all the remaining twenty-five members of Growltiger's crew, except for Grumbuskin; he's been taken prisoner as you ordered. But on top of that, we have a great many casualties amongst our group. Out of the original 104 of us, forty-six are dead; twenty-one are wounded – four of those we won't be able to save –, and five more are missing. All of the missing ones are presumed dead, though."

Macavity quickly did the math in his head, and he said "So, we now have a maximum of fifty-eight of us total. But taking into account the mortally wounded and missing ones, we could be brought as low as forty-nine of us in the end."

There was some deadly silence in that room for a short time, and then Griddlebone asked Macavity "So… when are we going to start on our next plan?"

Macavity gave no answer. He did not even turn to Griddlebone. He just remained staring at the space in front of him.

Griddlebone noticed this and repeated the question "Mac, when are we going to start organizing our next plan to kill Mungojerrie?"

This time Macavity did give Griddlebone an answer. He said simply but clearly "There's not going to be another plan."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I have decided that Mungojerrie is more trouble than he's worth," Macavity explained to Griddlebone, "Most of the time when I send my henchcats to confront someone, their mission usually results in a great success. I have attempted to confront Mungojerrie FOUR TIMES in the past; each of those resulted in a dismal failure. Because of him, more than half of our group is dead. I have decided to just give up on my vengeance plan before the rest of us go down with it."

Everyone in the room was a little surprised to hear their leader talk like this, but they understood the logic in his reasoning.

"So, what should we do now?" asked Griddlebone.

"Well," Macavity began as he got off his bed, "I did swear to Demeter that I would make her my own mate, and the Jellicle Ball is not far away. That would be the best time for us to get her."

"How about we plan that instead?" said Griddlebone. "I mean, a kidnapping is much more exciting to plan and carry out than a murder."

"Grida, you just read my mind," Macavity smirked mischeviously at the white Persian queen.


	20. The Jellicle Ball Part 1

Note: The next three or four chapters will be most of the Jellicle Ball from the POVs of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They will mostly follow the video version, but I'll be sure to include the parts of the play that were taken out of the movie. Also, this chapter and the three following it will probably be considerably longer than the previous ones.

Second note: The new characters mentioned in this chapter – Nyrebima, Augustus, Wangidet, Ingrid, and Enbiota – were first introduced in my fanfic "Hidden Truths of the Hidden Paw." Needless to say, I own all of them.

Third (and final) note: At some points in this chapter, I'm going to refer to the front legs of cats as "arms." I'm getting a little tired of having to continually use the terms "right front leg," "left front leg," "right lower leg," and "left front leg." Originally I planned to go through with that all the way, but it started getting a little too complicated, especially when I was writing Victoria's Solo Dance.

A few days later, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had decided to establish three different places of residence for themselves. One, of course, was at the Jellicle Junkyard. Another was at their owner's place of residence. The third one was at Mungojerrie's former place of residence at Victoria Grove. The three of them moved between these three places frequently, but they tended to spend most of their time at the Jellicle Junkyard.

A few weeks after Mungojerrie and the other Jellicles had saved Rumpleteazer from Macavity, everybody started talking about the Jellicle Ball. The enthusiasm spread throughout the Junkyard as a whole.

Macavity had told Mungo about parts of it, but Mungo still knew very little about the Ball itself. However, it was not hard for Mungojerrie to determine that the Jellicle Ball was of great importance to the entire tribe.

He decided to ask Rumpleteazer about the Jellicle Ball. She told him that the Ball began with a lot of strange but majestic music, and one-by-one all the Jellicles would saunter into the clearing. After singing a song meant to "introduce" all the Jellicles, everyone would recite a timeless poem called "The Naming of Cats." Then a single queen who was coming of age that year would perform the Solo Dance. At the end of that dance, a tom would come out and give the "Invitation to the Jellicle Ball." Munkustrap would then give the short speech about Old Deuteronomy's arrival and the Jellicle Choice.

"'Jeh'llicle Choice?'" said Mungo.

"Th'at's when ou'r leade' decides who w'ill be rebo'rn into a new Jeh'llicle life," Rumple clarified.

"Oh, ok'ay," said Mungo, "Please, cont'inue."

Rumple went on with her explanation. After that, 3, 4, 5, or even 6 cats would get their own song. After Old Deuteronomy arrived, his song would be sung, and a short play would be presented for him. Then the all-dance portion of the Jellicle Ball would be held, and about halfway through, the Mating Dance would be held-

"W'ait, what's all th'is a'bout a 'Matin' Dance?'" Mungojerrie interrupted Rumpleteazer's explanation right there.

"Umm…" Rumple blushed slightly, and then continued "It's wh'ere the s'ame queen who per'formed the Solo Dance per'forms a rath'er sensual dance with another'r tom. Once the dance is ove', they… m'ate with each othe'. All aroun' them, eve'rybody else pairs up and ma'tes with each othe', too."

"W'oah, w'oah, w'oah," said Mungo, "You m'ean we're all going to 'ave SEX in fr'ont of each othe'?"

"W'ell, th'at is pre'tty much it," Rumple said.

Mungo's jaw almost dropped when he heard that answer. Then he just said "Th'is tribe h'as we'ird tradi'tions."

"I kn'ow," said Rumple, "But we've uph'eld them fo'r a ve'ry long time."

Mungo just shrugged and beckoned Rumple to continue with explaining the outline of the Jellicle Ball.

She told him that after everyone had… mated, they would sleep for a while. When they woke up, they would dance for a long time. After the dancing, they would leave the clearing to give Old Deuteronomy some time to meditate on a philosophical lesson in peace. Shortly after that, everybody would gather in the clearing and rest while Old Deuteronomy presented his philosophical lesson to the others. However, usually his lessons were ambiguous and difficult to follow, so he would telepathically contact three other cats to interpret his message in a simpler form. Two of them would carry the message, and the third would present the simplified form to the rest of the Jellicles. After that, 3, 4, or 5 more cats would get their own song. Then Old Deuteronomy, just before dawn, would make the Jellicle Choice, and decide which cat would be reborn into a new life. After that, a type of staircase would appear out of the clouds, and the cat chosen would climb the staircase to rise up into the Heaviside Lair. Finally, Old Deuteronomy would sing "The Ad-dressing of Cats" with everybody else repeating the most important lines. This was the one song that really confused Mungo, but Rumple told him that this song, along with "The Naming of Cats," was meant to be heard by humans. The Jellicles sang this one last and at the crack of dawn in hopes that the humans would somehow absorb its contents as they woke up and treat their cats as more than just pets.

When Rumpleteazer was done with her explanation, Mungojerrie simply blinked, breathed in deeply, and said "Th'is is goin' to be one wild n'ight."

Rumple grinned up at her mate and told him "You'll 'ave the time of you'r life."

Over the next few weeks, everybody spent a great deal of time preparing in advance for the Jellicle Ball. Mungojerrie had even suggested to Rumpleteazer the idea of having their own song at the ball. When they presented their request to Munkustrap, Munk's answer was "I don't know if we'll be able to fit you in. Old Deuteronomy may arrive at any time."

"Munk, t'wo th'ings," said Mungojerrie, "Fi'rst of all, w'hy do you call you'r fathe'r by h'is name?"

"Because he's our leader, and I'm his second-in-command," Munk replied, "Believe me, Mungo, most of the time, I actually refer to him as 'father," but sometimes I find it more appropriate to refer to him as 'Old Deuteronomy.'"

"Good en'ough," Rumple shrugged.

"Any'way," said Mungo, "Sec'ondly, Rumple an' I rea'lly w'ant our own song."

"What do you plan to sing about?" asked Munkustrap.

"Ou'selves, of cou'rse," Rumple scoffed.

"I know that," said Munk, "But what specifically about you?"

Mungo and Rumple just looked at each other, smirked, and looked back at Munkustrap. They answered "Ou'r repu'tation in stealin'."

Munk was a little surprised by their answer, but only a little. He could actually imagine the two of them singing such a song about such a unique topic. In the end, he told them "I'll think about it. However, if you do have your own song, it will have to be in the first half of the Jellicle Ball. But I cannot promise anything."

Mungo and Rumple grinned.

… ("Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats")

Finally, after weeks of preparation, the Jellicle Ball arrived. At exactly ten o'clock that night, everyone started to arrive in the clearing. Demeter came in first, but a helicopter passed over her, startling her and making her retreat to the pipe. Then Munkustrap came in on top of the TS-E1. Cassandra appeared next from the other side of the clearing, and she held one of her legs in the air behind her. Skimbleshanks ran in near the tire, sniffed the air, and waved his paw at a fly in the air. Shortly after, Pouncival appeared on top of the junk pile with the old rocking chair.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer watched from behind a set of broken pipes and a large wheel as everyone else gathered in the clearing. In front of them was Ingrid, the mother of Plato and Admetus. Ingrid had a line in the opening song, but other than that, she planned to sit and watch the ball with her mate Wangidet (Plato and Admetus' father). Also watching the ball were Augustus and Nyrebima, who were the parents of Cassandra and Exotica. Bustopher Jones' mate Enbiota was also just watching the Jellicle Ball, as was Bustopher himself for most of it. But Bustopher had his own song that year, and when that part came, he would directly participate with the others.

Slowly, everyone else started to arrive. Munkustrap crawled over to the center of the junkyard, stood up straight on both of his hind feet and sang loudly: "Are you blind when you're born?"

After a few moments, Demeter sang: "Can you see in the dark?"

Skimbleshanks sang next: "Can you look at a king?"

Asparagus popped up from a garbage can and followed Skimble with "Would you sit on his throne?"

After a moment, Rum Tum Tugger continued the song: "Can you say of your bite, that it's worse than your bark?"

"Hey, wh'at 'appened to h'is mane?" Mungo asked Rumple.

"I don't kn'ow," she said, "I th'ink he h'as some intri'cate method of hidin' it from view. He alw'ays does th'at in the openin' songs of t'he ball."

"Ok'ay," said Mungo.

"Are you cock of the walk…" sang Alonzo from the TS-E1.

Ingrid entered and finished the line "When you're walking alone?"

As everybody else started to sing the chorus, Mungojerrie got an idea. He turned to Rumpleteazer and told her "You kn'ow wh'at we shou'd do? We shou'd h'ide ou'r accents when ou'r lines come up. It w'ill t'ake eve'rybody off the'ir gua'rd."

Rumpleteazer liked the idea. She told her mate "Th'at is brill'iant, Mungo."

As Jellylorum, Coricopat, Jemima, and Old Deuteronomy sang their lines, Mungo and Rumple practiced speaking without their accents. After about a minute, Rumple asked Mungo "How does this sound?"

He smiled and told her "Beautiful, darling. It's just beautiful."

By that time, the second chorus had been sung, and Tantomile, Jennyanydots, Victoria, and Electra had sung their lines.

"We better get ready!" Rumple urged her mate, "Our part's almost up!"

"Alright, let's get into position," Mungo prepared to make his entrance, Rumple was right behind him.

Bombalurina entered and sang "Were you Whittington's friend?"

Quaxo jumped in and sang "The Pied Piper's assistant?"

Tumblebrutus entered near Jemima and did two somersaults while he sang "Have you been an alumnus of heaven and hell?"

"Here we go!" Mungo whispered. He ran into the clearing and sang in a deep, clear voice "Are you mean like a minx?"

Rumple followed him and ran her front paw along Mungo's left arm as she sang : "Are you lean like a lynx?"

Most of the other cats turned to them in surprise. They almost did not recognize the two tiger-striped cats without their cockney accents. Nevertheless, the song went on. Etcetera sang from on top of the stove "Are you keen to be seen when you're smelling a rat?"

Cassandra struck a pose as she sang "Were you there when the Pharaohs commissioned the Sphinx?"

Then everyone gathered in the center and sang as a collective "If you were and you are, you're a Jellicle cat!

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats."

Then, everyone turned towards the stove as Admetus gave Etcetera a push. As she swung forward on the trapeze, everyone sang "We can dive through the air like a flying trapeze."

Everyone waved their hips, and then dropped to the ground to throw their legs in the air as Etcetera swung on the trapeze again. Everyone sang "We can turn double somersaults; bounce on a tire!"

Everyone got back to their feet and sang "We can run off a wall; we can swing through the trees!"

On that line, Victoria ran over to Munkustrap. She sat on his shoulder while he spun around a few times. Then he helped her off and got her back onto her feet.

Everyone then sang "We can balance on bars; we can walk on a wire!"

After that, everyone gathered on the piles of crates near the tiles in the form of a pyramid and sang on. One verse had to be redone when a huge boot fell from one of the surrounding piles and into the center of the junkyard. After that, everyone sang about the Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity. Then everyone rushed back to the clearing. Jennyanydots carried the boot away from the clearing before joining everyone else. After singing about 22 different types of cat (Practical, dramatical, pragmatical, and so on), everyone sang the chorus one last time and ended the song in the center of the junkyard.

… ("The Naming of Cats")

After the opening song was over, Mungojerrie looked down to the front of the clearing. The color almost drained from his face; the junkyard's human manager was over there!

The Jellicle Ball was a very secret celebration of the Jellicle Tribe, and no human knew about it.

Asparagus also noticed the manager. He ran to the front of the group, sat on one leg, and sang "There's a man over there…"

Everyone else turned and saw the man. Quickly, they all ducked to the ground.

Asparagus continued singing "With a look of surprise. As much as to say 'Well now, how about that?'"

Munkustrap ran over to Asparagus on his hind feet, and then sang "Do I actually see… with my own very eyes…" He and Asparagus looked at each other, and then Munkustrap finished "A man who's not heard of a Jellicle cat? What's a Jellicle cat?"

Right then, something strange came over all the Jellicles, even the ones on the side. Everyone repeated Munk's line "What's a Jellicle cat? What's a Jellicle cat?"

Slowly, everybody clustered together in the clearing. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were on different sides of the group. They tried to reach other, but they found that they had no physical control over their bodies. Everybody sang the following quietly:

"The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,

It isn't just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter

When I tell you, a cat must have three different names._"_

_Well, this is new, _thought Mungojerrie._ This is the first I've ever heard of us having three names._

Everybody continued with the spoken word song:

"First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,

Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,

Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-

All of them sensible everyday names."

_Oh, I get that, _Mungo thought to himself. _The first name is the name our human family calls us by. Teazer and I each have one of those from our human family. She's Linda; I'm Paul. I must say, our owners certainly lack creativity._

The song went on:

"There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,

Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:

Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-

But all of them sensible everyday names."

Everybody started crawling closer to the front of the clearing. By then, the manager had left the junkyard, but everybody continued with the song:

"But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,

A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,

Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,

Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-

Names that never belong to more than one cat."

_Oh, that makes much more sense, _Mungo thought. _Our second name is the name we all go by here at the junkyard. I greatly prefer Mungojerrie to Paul. I'm sure Rumpleteazer feels the same way about Linda._

Everybody broke up into two different groups as the song kept going:

"But above and beyond there's still one name left over,

And that is the name that you never will guess;

The name that no human research can discover-

But the cat himself knows, and will never confess."

Victoria had regained physical control of her body. She slowly crawled back to the center of the junkyard as everybody else resumed singing:

"When you notice a cat in profound meditation,

The reason, I tell you, is always the same:

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation

Of the thought… of the thought… of the thought… of his name:

His ineffable… effable…

Effanineffable…

Deep and inscrutable… singular… Name, name, name, name, name, name…_"_

As everybody crawled out of the clearing, the word "name" was uttered ten more times. By the sixteenth mention, the chanting stopped. Everybody regained physical control of their bodies and took a moment to rest.

… ("The Invitation to The Jellicle Ball")

Mungo went over to Rumple and asked her "What in hell's name just happened?"

Mungojerrie was really shocked about what just happened. He didn't even realize that he was talking without his accent.

Rumple just smiled and told him "We were just possessed by the Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity. Every year at the Jellicle Ball, after we sing 'Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,' the Mystical Divinity takes hold of us all and makes us recite 'The Naming of Cats.'"

Mungojerrie raised an eyebrow in amazement. "Now that was a most peculiar experience."

A few feet away from them, some of the other cats were chuckling at the two of them.

"What?" asked Rumpleteazer.

"You guys just sound so… odd without your accents," Pouncival enlightened them, trying to suppress the urge to laugh.

It was then that the calico cats realized that they were speaking without their accents. But they easily remedied this.

"Bette'h?" Mungo asked the others.

"Much," said Electra.

"Shhh!" Skimbleshanks hushed the others, "Victoria's performing the Solo Dance!"

"Oh, r'ight!" Rumple turned to Mungo and beckoned him to the top of a junk pile, telling him "You 'ave GOT ta see th'is."

Everybody watched Victoria on the ground below. She held her arms in the air, and then brought up her right leg. She bent it up backwards, holding onto it with her right arm. Then she brought her right leg around and held it in the air. After she stroked it with her left arm, she brought her right leg to her side and lifted it into the air.

Mungo watched in amazement as Victoria brought her right leg parallel to her upper body. As she stood on the toes of her left leg, Mungo whispered to Rumple "I m'ust s'ay; you'r siste'h is ve'ry gr'aceful."

Rumple nodded and said "I kn'ow s'he is. I'm ve'ry pro'ud of 'er."

Victoria then brought her leg down and did a split on the ground. She bent her lower legs behind her body and held them there as she raised her left arm into the air with her claws bared. Following that, she turned around and brought her slender figure up into the air, balancing herself on her shoulders. She twirled her legs in the air a few time, and finally, she brought her legs down and brought her head and chest up so that they were level with them. All the while, Mungo and Rumple just smirked at each other every now and then.

Right at that moment, Quaxo rushed out of the pipe and ran to the clearing on his hind legs. With a wave of his front legs, a bright light shined on him. As this happened, Victoria turned to her side and held her right lower leg in the air.

"Wh'ere's th'at light comin' from?" Mungo whispered to Rumple. "An' th'at music, who's creatin' it?"

"I don't rea'lly kn'ow," she confessed, "I th'ink both t'he music and t'he lighting systems are both prov'ided by the Mystical Divinity."

"Fa'scinating," said Mungo.

At that same time, Quaxo ran his front paws along Victoria's raised leg. Then he raised his own leg into the air and sang "Jellicle cats, come out tonight!"

All the other Jellicles rushed back into the clearing as Victoria and Quaxo danced in sync. The later of them continued to sing the Invitation to the Jellicle Ball:

"Jellicle cats, come one, come all!

The Jellicle Moon is shining bright!

Jellicles, come to the Jellicle Ball!

Jellicle cats, come out tonight!

Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball!"

By then, everybody was back in the clearing. However, Mungojerrie noticed that Old Deuteronomy, Jennyanydots, and Rum Tum Tugger were not there. But he knew why.

Munkustrap stood at the front of the group and sang strongly:

"Jellicle cats meet once a year

At the Jellicle Ball where we all rejoice."

Everybody gathered up behind Munk as he continued:

"And the Jellicle leader will soon appear…

And make what is known as the Jellicle Choice.

When Old Deuteronomy just before dawn

Through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife,

Announces the cat that can now be reborn

And come back to a different Jellicle life."

Munkustrap gestured upward and sang:

"For waiting up there

Is the Heaviside Lair

Full of wonders ONE Jellicle only will see.

And Jellicles ask because Jellicles dare

'Who will it be?'"

Behind him, everybody repeated "Who will it be?"

_Boy, would you like to know, _thought Mungojerrie.

… ("The Old Gumbie Cat")

Once that was over, several of the kittens and the older cats (mostly queens) were going over to Munkustrap and asking him "Who will it be, Munk?" repeatedly.

He would just smile and respond every time "I don't know. You'll just have to wait and see."

Alonzo had everybody back up to give Munkustrap some breathing room, as he was about to sing. To thank Alonzo, Munkustrap nuzzled next to him for a moment (the sight of that creeped a few of the other cats out, but most chose to ignore it).

Soon, everybody but Quaxo had backed away from Munkustrap to give him room to sing. Both of the toms were standing on their hind legs. Quaxo had his right arm partially raised in the air, and he had a proud smile on his face.

Munkustrap then started to sing:

"I have a Gumbie cat in mind…"

As he sang, he looked at Quaxo in a strange way. At the start of that lyric, Quaxo raised his arm into the air, but when he heard the words "Gumbie cat," his smile dropped to an embarrassed frown.

Rumpleteazer pointed at Quaxo and looked at Mungojerrie. The two of them chuckled; Quaxo had been under the impression that the first song after the invitation was going to be about him.

"Oh, dea'r Quaxo," said Rumple, "So inno'cent, yet so dum."

"Didn't any'one tell 'im th'at the first song wou'd be a'bout you'r mom?" asked Mungo.

"I gu'ess not," said Rumple.

Munkustrap continued to sing:

"Her name is Jennyanydots."

As Munk sang, Quaxo quickly brought his arm around and made it look as if he simply had to scratch his ear. Then he dropped to the ground, where Etcetera, Jemima, and Electra teased him for his mistake.

Munkustrap continued singing, and he made a few gestures with his body along the way:

"Her coat is of the tabby kind

With tiger stripes and leopard spots."

When he said "leopard spots," Munkustrap shook his hips a little. Rumpleteazer imitated him as he did so, almost making Mungojerrie giggle.

Munkustrap sang on:

"All day she sits beneath the stairs,

Or on the steps, or on a mat.

She sits, and sits, and sits, and sits,"

At that same time, Quaxo went over to the TS-E1 and sat on top of it. Skimbleshanks stood near him on top of the platform next to the car trunk.

"I h'ad no idea you'r mom was so lazy," said Mungo.

"S'he isn't," said Rumple, "A lot of th'ese songs tend to exagger'ate."

Quaxo waved his paws over the TS-E1 and as it slowly opened up. As it did, Munkustrap sang:

"And that's what makes a Gumbie cat."

Inside the trunk, Jennyanydots was resting. She wore a giant furry costume. Skimbleshanks was leaning inward and peering in at his mate.

"That's what makes a Gummmmbiieeeeeee Caaaaaaaat!" Munkustrap finished strongly.

He then made a gesture to Demeter, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum, all of whom were sitting on top of the tire.

As Munkustrap and Coricopat helped Jenny out of the trunk, Dem, Bomby, and Jelly sang:

"But… when the day's hustle and bustle is done,

Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun."

Rumpleteazer leaned over to Mungojerrie and whispered "Wa'tch th'is."

Jenny waddled over to the center of the clearing. As she did this, Rumpleteazer walked right past her, imitating her mother's manner of walking.

Demeter, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum went on:

"When all the family's in bed and asleep,

She tucks up her skirts to the basement to creep."

Mungojerrie thought to himself _She is just so damn cute_ as he watched his mate imitate her mother. Rumpleteazer quickly stopped mocking Jenny when Skimbleshanks shot her a disapproving look. Mungo went over to Rumple and told her "Cute. Ve'ry cute."

"Th'ank you," she smiled up at him.

"We bette'h get rea'dy fo'r ou'r part," Mungo suggested.

"Oh, crap, I almos' fo'rgot!" said Rumple.

The two of them quickly left the clearing with most of the others. As they donned their cockroach costumes, Mungo asked Rumple "Ya rea'dy to humil'iate you'self?"

She smirked and said "Rea'dy as eve'r."

Pouncival walked past them in his costume and reentered the clearing alone. He walked to the front and waved his hips a few times.

"Wh'at the 'ell is h'e doin'?" asked Rumple.

"Pounce is eithe' drawin' attention to 'imself, or embar'assing 'imself," Mungojerrie concluded, "O'r both. Wow, you'r mom looks kinda pissed off."

"Yeah, I c'an see th'at," said Rumple, "But I th'ink Bomba liked Pounce's inter'uption."

"Guys, c'mon!" Pouncival urged everybody back out into the clearing.

"Ok'ay, ok'ay, ok'ay," grumbled Rumpleteazer, "We're comin', we're comin'!"

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer picked up their spoons and went back out into the clearing with Pouncival. They were followed by Jemima, Alonzo, Cassandra, Victoria, Tumblebrutus, Electra, Quaxo, Etcetera, Coricopat, and Tantomile. All of them were dressed in the same coackroach costume, and each of them carried either a spoon or a fork with them.

When they got back outside, Jenny had removed her large furry coat to reveal an orange frilly one underneath it. Then she and the "cockroaches" started doing a very complicated tap-dance. More than halfway through, they were joined by Munkustrap, Bombalurina, Demeter, and Jellylorum. The whole dance took up several minutes, but everyone was careful not to mess it up.

The dance (and the song) ended when everybody clearing an aisle for Jenny and sang "For she's a jolly good fellow!"

Jenny pretended to blush and said gratefully "Thank you, my dears."

… ("The Rum Tum Tugger")

"Th'at was… somewh'at fun," said Rumple.

"Yeah, I supp'ose so," said Mungo.

"Now let's get out of these stupid costumes," suggested Tumblebrutus.

"Yes, let's," agreed Electra.

Everybody went off to the other exit of the clearing to get out of their costumes and leave them there. At the same time, Jennyanydots went to the front of the clearing to shake hands with Jellylorum, Demeter, Asparagus, Bombalurina, Skimbleshanks, and Munkustrap.

Rumple and Mungo were to last two "cockroaches" to leave the clearing. Just before they did, the music abruptly changed pitch and they heard a *RIP*, followed immediately by a "Meow."

Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie immediately knew who it was, and they looked towards the tire. Sure enough, Rum Tum Tugger himself was there. This time, his mane was completely visible, as it normally was.

"W'ell, Tugge'r ce'tainly knows h'ow ta m'ake an entr'ance," said Mungo.

"You c'an say th'at again," said Rumple, "Looks l'ike it's time fo'r h'is song."

The two of them decided to linger for a moment and watch the opening to Tugger's song.

Tugger stood on top of the tire and once again said "Meow" sexily. Pouncival had been standing a crate in front of the tire at that moment. He backflipped off of it while the older cats started to sing:

"The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat."

By then, Tugger had made his way to the TS-E1. He sang:

"If you offer me pheasant, I'd rather have grouse."

As he got off the car trunk, Rumple said to Mungo "C'mon, let's get out of th'ese cos'tumes."

"Fine w'ith meh," said Mungo.

The two of them left the clearing, and they could hear Tugger singing:

"If you put me in a house, I would much prefer a flat.

If you put me in a flat, then I'd rather have a house.

If you set me on a mouse, then I only want a rat.

If you set me on a rat, then I'd rather chase a mouse."

As Rumple and Mungo undressed, the other cats started making their way back out into the clearing.

When they were alone, Mungo looked at Rumple and told her "I saw t'he way you w'ere lookin' at 'im."

"Wh'at do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, don't pl'ay dumb wi'th meh, Rumple," Mungo smiled, "I kn'ow th'at you like Tugge'."

"On'ly as a fri'end, Mungo," she told her mate, "Be'lieve meh, you're t'he only one I'm inter'ested in."

"No, Rumple, it's ok'ay," Mungo insisted, "A lot of othe' mated queens also po'ssess some type of phy'sical attraction towards Tugge'. If you do too, I don't m'ind if ya gathe' with t'he othe' queens during his song."

"Mungo, w'hy a're you tellin' meh this?" Rumple asked in confusion.

"Bec'ause I kn'ow it would exc'ite ya," said Mungo, "An' you're cute wh'en you're exc'ited."

Rumple blushed, and then she said "If you ins'ist, but fi'rst I'll talk to mah Dad a'bout it."

"Alr'ight, go r'ight ah'ead," Mungo encouraged his mate.

Rumple finished undressing and went to find Skimbleshanks. She found him back on the hood of the TS-E1. By then, everybody was already a great deal into Tugger's song. Bombalurina sang:

"The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious beast."

Rumpleteazer jumped down next to Skimbleshanks and said "Hi, Daddy!"

He smiled at her and said "Hi, Rumple. How are you?"

"I'm f'ine," she smiled, "S'ay, Dad, th'ere's somethin' I'd like to t'alk to ya a'bout."

The two of them talked about what Rumple and Mungo had just talked about while Tugger continued singing and dancing provocatively with Bombalurina. He sang:

"My disobliging ways are a matter of habit.

If you offer me fish, then I always want a feast.

If there isn't any fish, then I won't eat rabbit.

If you offer me cream, then I sniff and sneer.

For I only like what I find for myself."

Bombalurina was standing right in front of Tugger, and he was checking her out. He flat out said "NO" and pushed her away.

Bombalurina fell flat on her stomach as Tugger sang:

"But you'll catch in it right up to my ears

If you put it away on the larder shelf."

That whole time, Rumpleteazer was talking with Skimbleshanks. When she was finished explaining to him what Mungo had told her, Skimble said "Mungo actually said he did not mind you behaving the same way as Electra and the other kittens around Tugger?"

"Well, 'e knows th'at I wou'd like to do th'at," Rumple told her father, "An' I prom'ised him th'at I would still k'eep mah dist'ance from Tugge'r's… ar'ea. Unlike Etcetera."

Skimble shrugged and said "In that case, go on over!"

Rumple smiled brightly and said "Th'anks, Daddy!"

She got off the car trunk and went over to join most of the younger queens as they gathered around Tugger.

Everybody sang:

"The Rum Tum Tugger is artful and knowing.

The Rum Tum Tugger…"

"Doesn't care for a cuddle," Tugger finished.

"But I'll leap in your lap in the middle of your sewing

'Cause there's nothing I enjoy like a horrible muddle."

Mungojerrie remained at the side entrance on the right side of the clearing, just underneath the platform. He smiled as he watched his mate follow Tugger around like the other kittens. Rumpleteazer made sure to keep her distance from Tugger, however.

After another minutes of just music and dancing, everyone sang:

"The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat.

The Rum Tum Tugger doesn't care for a cuddle."

There came more music and more dancing, and then everyone repeated:

"The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat."

Jemima, Etcetera, Victoria, and Electra were all grouped around Tugger. Rumpleteazer sat at the base of the TS-E1.

Tugger sang "And there isn't any need for me to spout it!"

Everyone sang together:

"For he will do as he do do…"

Tugger sang:

"And, there's no doing anything… a-bouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…"

The four kittens started to squeal in excitement at Tugger's seductive movements.

Mungo intended to keep watching Tugger, but something suddenly caught his eye. Almost directly behind Tugger, Bombalurina was standing on her hind legs, and Pouncival was rubbing his ASS against her right leg!

Mungo expected Bombalurina to push Pouncival away. But instead, she looked as if she was enjoying it. She even scratched the side of Pouncival's butt with her right paw. Pouncival was so excited at that moment that he fell onto his back.

Tugger continued singing:

"Abou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ouuuuuuut…"

The kittens squealed in excitement again. Etcetera seemed to be getting more and more excited with every wave of the hips Tugger gave.

Then Tugger sang "Abo-wowou-wowou-wowou-wouuuuuuu…"

That was too much for Etcetera to take. Unable to contain her excitement, she started squealing like a lunatic. Everyone looked at her in surprise, even Electra, Jemima, and Victoria. Finally, she stopped squealing when Tugger put his paw on her mouth.

"About it!" he finished the song.

Etcetera fainted… in a very awkward position.

…

"Pssst!" Mungojerrie whispered to Rumpleteazer.

Rumple turned and ran over to her mate. She said "I h'ope I didn't cr'oss the line."

He smiled down at her and said "No, no, you w'eren't even close to rea'ching the prove'bial line. In f'act, I am SO tur'ned on by you r'ight now."

She smiled back and said "I'm gl'ad to kn'ow th'at."

Mungo kept his grin on his face and asked Rumple "Are ya re'ady to do th'is?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Is it time alre'ady?" she asked.

"Yep, we don't 'ave long 'til Old Deute'ronomy ar'ives," said Mungo, "We shou'd go now!"

"Alr'ight," Rumple agreed, "Let's do it!"

The two of them had decided to rob a house just before Old Deuteronomy arrived. They would use the loot as props for their song, if (Mungo was sure to say "when") their song came along. The only other song scheduled before Old Deuteronomy's arrival was Bustopher Jones' song, so they had plenty of time. Hopefully, in the time they were gone, no one would notice that they were missing.

"Alr'ight, we 'ave a'bout fifteen min'utes until Old Deute'ronomy is supp'osed to arr'ive," said Rumple, "So, we bette' steal somethin' small. We also bette' steal th'at "somethin'" from some'one who lives in close pro'ximity of the Junkya'd."

"Excell'ent stra'tegy," Mungo nodded, "Let's go!"

The two calico cats left the clearing, grabbed two empty sacks in another part of the junkyard, and went to the front of the junkyard unnoticed.

"I th'ink the Er'icksons are getting a spec'al deli'very tonight," said Rumple, "T'hey live only two bl'ocks aw'ay from 'ere."

"Good," said Mungo, "Let's go on ove' th'ere."

The two calicos made their way to the Erickson house. As they went over there, they decided to talk with each other.

"H'ow are you enjoyin' the ball so fa'r?" asked Rumple.

"It's ve'ry riv'eting," said Mungo, "By t'he way, did ya not'ice that Pounicval was RUBBIN' h'is ASS against Bombalurina's leg nea'r the end of Tugg'er's song?"

Rumpleteazer gasped and put her paw to her mouth. Then she said in a surprised yet humorous manner "H'e di'dn't..."

"Oh, you b'et 'e did," Mungojerrie smirked.

"Wh'at was Bomba's rea'ction?" asked Rumple.

"She actu'ally see'med aroused," said Mungo, "Sh'e scratched h'is ass wh'ile 'e was still th'ere, and he almos' rea'cted the same way Cetty re'acted at the end of Tugg'er's song."

"I can't w'ait ta tell Tugg'er a'bout th'at," said Rumple.

After another minute of walking, they made it to the block with the Ericksons' place of residence. There, they saw a delivery truck and several men unloading some of its contents.

"Pe'fect timin'," Mungo smiled down at Rumple, "Let's m'ove."

The two of them ran over to the truck and crept underneath it. They saw a pile of small white canisters on the curb. Mungo and Rumple waited until all the delivery men had their backs turned to the pile, and then they moved in.

The two notorious cats went to the canister furthest away from the group of delivery men and carefully opened it up. Inside, they found that the contents were composed of a bunch of different types of trinkets. There was an assortment of Swiss army knives, key chains, utensils, and other metallic items.

"Quick, gr'ab eve'rythin you'r bag can h'old, and let's get outta 'ere!" Mungo urged Rumple.

"Ya don't 'ave ta tell meh twice," she smirked as she started to fill her bag.

In less than thirty seconds, the notorious cats had filled their bags. Once this was accomplished, they put the lid back on the canister and casually moved away from the vicinity.

Out of nowhere, Rumpleteazer giggled. She couldn't help it; that burglary was just too easy!

"Shhhhhh!" said Mungojerrie.

The two of them quickly hid before the delivery men could spot them.

Once the coast was clear, Mungo said "Alr'ight, let's go!"

The two of them got back to the junkyard as quickly as possible. When they arrived at the front entrance, they made their way around the clearing. Finally, they arrived just underneath the secret opening of the TS-E1. On their way, they could hear singing. They heard Bustopher Jones singing:

"I am still in the prime,

I shall last out my time."

Then Jennyanydots sang:

"That's the word from this stoutest of cats."

Mungo frowned and turned to Rumpleteazer. He said "Th'at's odd. I could've swo'rn that Bustoph'er's song was on'ly fou'r minutes long."

"It was," said Rumple, "W'hy a're you su'prised?"

"We w'ere gone fo'r a total of e'ight minutes," Mungo pointed out, "And I dist'inctly remembe' Munk tellin' meh that Bustoph'er's song was right afte' Tugg'er's song."

"You're r'ight, th'at is odd," said Rumple, "Pe'haps th'ere was anothe' song we w'ere not info'med about in-between th'ose two songs."

"W'ell, whateveh the rea'son, we c'an ask some'body late'," Mungo decided.

Just then, a sound like thunder came around the clearing, and all the lights momentarily failed. Somewhere just outside the junkyard, a car alarm was heard.

A moment later, Mungo and Rumple heard Demeter shout "Macavity!"

Rumpleteazer started to panic. She held on tightly to Mungojerrie. However, Mungo was not worried; he was just smirking.

"W'hy a're you so at ease?" Rumple asked him.

"Demete' IS r'ight," said Mungojerrie, "It IS Mac'avity, but 'e is not 'ere."

"H'ow do you kn'ow?" she inquired.

"If Mac'avity was plannin' an att'ack, 'e would 'ave only cut the powe'," he explained, "But since 'e added in th'ose sound effects, th'at proves 'e was only 'ere to scare eve'ryone."

"A're you sure?" she asked.

"Absolut'ely," Mungo assured Rumple, "I wouldn't lie to ya a'bout somethin' like th'is."

After another moment, they could hear a car starting up and driving away. Rumpleteazer stuck her head out slightly to see what was going on in the clearing. Only Alonzo and Munkustrap were there, but Alonzo was leaving on all fours.

"Who's still up th'ere?" asked Mungo.

"Jus' Munkustrap," Rumple answered, "I th'ink he's jus' su'veying the ar'ea. Oh, wait, he's leavin'. Now t'he clea'ring is tota'lly empty."

Mungo sat thinking for a moment, and then he got a brilliant yet mischievous idea. He pulled Rumple back down and told her "You kn'ow wh'at? We shou'd jus' do ou'r song now!"

"Now?" she said, "A're you s'ure th'at's a good idea?"

"Trust meh," Mungo grinned, "I wouldn't take ya out th'ere if I wasn't su're it was safe."

"But th'ere's no one out th'ere to listen to it," Rumple pointed out.

"W'ell, maybe ou'r song will encour'age every'body to come back out," said Mungo, "Besides, th'is may be ou'r only chance befo'e Old Deute'onomy arrives."

Rumpleteazer sat thinking for a moment, then she smiled at her mate and said "Jeh'rie, you a're a gen'ius."

Mungojerrie smiled back up at his mate and said "Th'ank ya, Teazeh."

Rumpleteazer decided to wear her necklace instead of her collar for this song. After switching the two of them out, she got ready.

Just before she stuck her head out of the opening, Rumpleteazer gave a very loud but soft giggle. Then she was quickly shushed by Mungojerrie.


	21. The Jellicle Ball Part 2

… ("Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer")

Rumpleteazer popped up from the hole in the pile of junk with her bag of loot. Suddenly, music started playing in the background for her and Mungojerrie.

Rumple climbed on top of the TS-E1 and looked back at Mungo. He was just coming out of the hole with his bag of loot. She whispered to him "Come on."

Mungojerrie also heard the music as he climbed onto the TS-E1. As he got up with Rumple, he thought _I must say; the Mystical Divinity certainly makes good music._

Once both he and Rumple were on the trunk of the TS-E1, they stood up on their hind legs and started dancing. Mungo then whispered "Let's go in'to t'he clea'ring. Th'ere's not en'ough space up 'ere."

"Good id'ea," said Rumple.

As the two of them slid off the TS-E1, Rumpleteazer giggled again. Mungojerrie quickly shushed her once more. Then the two of them started repeating the same dance moves, but in the opposite direction. The two of them walked partially towards each end of the clearing, and then they started backing up. They accidentally ran into each other, causing them to react by throwing their bags up in the air.

They turned to each other, and just shrugged. Mungojerrie turned to the front of the clearing and sang: "Mun-gojeh'rie"

Rumpleteazer continued: "And Rum-pleteazeh"

As they danced, they sang "We're a noto'rious couple of cats."

They swung their legs as Rumple sang: "As kno'ckabout clowns, quick-ch'ange comed'ians, t'ightrope wa'lkers, and acrobats."

Rumple did a cartwheel and Mungo did a somersault. Then they made some motions with their legs as Mungo sang on: "We h'ave an extensive repu'tation. We m'ake our home in Victo'ria Grove."

Rumpleteazer did an impression of someone writing on a typewriter while Mungojerrie swung his arm in a certain manner, singing: "This is me'rely our cente' of operation…"

They sang together: "Fo'r we are incu'rably given to rove."

(Note: A lot of the following was taken out of the movie. I'm just making up some of the choreography as I go along. But the lyrics themselves are found both in T.S. Eliot's _Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats_ and the musical on stage)

As the two of them waved their arms in sync, Mungo sang: "We a're ve'ry well-known in Co'rnwall Gardens…"

Rumple: "In Laun'ceston Pl'ace"

Mungo: "And in Ken'sington Squa're."

Rumple: "We h'ave really a li'ttle more repu'tation"

Both: "Than a cou'ple of cats can ve'ry well ba're!"

Mungojerrie then picked up Rumpleteazer and tossed her into the air. She did a somersault and landed on her hind feet. Then they continued to sing.

Mungo threw his paw up dramatically in the air and sang "If the ar'ea window is found aja'r,"

Rumple raised her arm and sang "Or the bas'ement looks like a field of wa'r,"

Mungo: "If a t'ile or two comes loose fr'om the roof"

Rumple: "Which pre'sently ceases ta be wate'proof,"

The two of them linked arms and ran in circles as Mungo sang: "If the draw'ers are pulled out from the bed'room chests…"

Rumple continued: "Or you c'an't find one of you'r winte' vests,"

The two of them broke the link with their arms and twirled around twice in the air, doing a high- kick along the way. As they did this, Mungojerrie sang: "If afte' suppe', one of the g'irls,"

"Suddenly mi'sses 'er Woolwo'rth pearls," Rumple finished.

The two of them paused for a moment, and then they looked at each other and sang "The fam'ily will s'ay "It's th'at 'orrible cat!'"

Mungojerrie spread his arms and sang "It was Mun-gojeh'rie,"

Rumpleteazer did the same thing and sang "Or Rummm-pleteazeh,"

The two of them did a cartwheel using just one arm in opposite directions, and then sang as they landed on all fours "An' most of the time, they le'ave it at th'at."

The two of them sang together a little faster than before "Mungojeh're and Rumpleteazeh 'ave a ve'ry unusual gi'ft of the gab."

"We a're h'ighly effic'ent cat burglars as well," Rumple sang as they did more high-kicks.

"And rema'kably smart at a sm'ash and grab!" sang Mungo.

Mungo then picked up Rumple by putting his right arm under her raised right leg and he put his other arm around her waist. Then he spun around a few times as they continued singing.

Rumple: "We m'ake ou'r home in Victo'ria Grove."

Mungo: "We 'ave no regula' occup'ation."

He then placed Rumple back down and sang "We a're plau'sible fellows"

"Who l'ike to enga'ge," sang Rumple.

Both: "A fri'endly policeman in conve'sation!"

Then Mungojerrie ran right up behind Rumpleteazer, pushed onto her back, and jumped completely over her.

The two of them went to the back of clearing on opposite sides, singing together "When the fam'ily assembles fo'r Sund'ay dinne'h,"

Rumple sang "The'ir mind's made up th'at they won't get thinne'h"

The two of them gradually dropped to the ground whilst they sang.

Mungo: "On Ar'gentine joint,"

Rumple: "Pot'atoes, and gr'eens. Then the cook would appea' fr'om behin' the scenes,"

As they spread their lower legs in the air and balanced themselves, Mungo sang on "An' say in a voice th'at is broken with sorr'ow 'I'm afr'aid you mus' wait and 'ave dinn'eh tomorr'ow.' The joint h'as gone from the oven l'ike th'at…"

The two of them paused for a moment, and then looked at each other to sing "Then the fam'ily will s'ay 'It's th'at 'orrible cat!"

Mungojerrie rose to his hind legs and sang "Was it Mun-gojeh'rie…"

Rumpleteazer rose next to him and sang "Or Rummm-pleteazeh?"

The two of them held onto each other's paw and danced over to the right side of the clearing, singing "An' most of t'he time, they le'ave it at th'at!"

Then they started doing more high-kicks as they sang "Mungojeh'rie and Rumpleteaz'eh 'ave a wonde'ful way… of workin' togethe'!"

They spun around once, punched the air thrice, and did another high-kick as they sang "An' some of the t'ime you cou'd say it was luck!

Mungo then linked Rumple's arm in his, and they spun around once, singing "An' some of t'he time you wou'd say it was weathe'!"

The two of them jumped toward the center of the clearing, waving their arms as they sang: "We go throu' the 'ouse like an 'urricane!"

Rumple stood in front of Mungo. He grabbed onto her waist and helped her do a cartwheel without touching the ground.

As Rumple rebounded, Mungo sang "An' no sobe' per'son…"

Both: "Could take 'is oath."

Mungo: "W'as it Mun-gojeh'rie?"

Rumple: "Or Rummm-pleteaz'eh?"

The two of them turned to each other and bowed as they sang: "Or cou'd you 'ave sworn th'at it m'ight 'ave been both?"

They jumped around the clearing as they sang:

"An' when you 'ear a dinin' room sm'ash,

Or up from the pan'try, th'ere comes a loud cr'ash,"

The two of them spread their arms out and sung a little more softly:

"Or down from the libr'ary, came a loud ping,

From a vase wh'ich was commonly said to be Miiiiiiiiiiiiing."

By then, Mungojerrie had been standing directly behind Rumpleteazer. The two of them bent over, and then looked at each other nervously. The way they had positioned themselves was sure to look awkward from a certain perspective.

They just got out of that compromising position and ran to the back of the clearing. They looked at each other with a grin on each of their faces, and held each other's paw.

They sang: "Then the fam'ily will say 'Now wh'ich was wh'ich cat?"

Rumpleteazer got behind Mungojerrie and bent down low. Mungo held his arms in the air and sang "It waasss… Mun-gojeh'rie."

Rumple stood and came to his front. She sang "Annnnnd… Rummm-pleateazeh!"

The two of them did a cartwheel to the right side of the clearing. Rumple was standing just a little to the left and in front of Mungo. She threw herself towards him and grabbed onto his waist with her back to him. He then grabbed onto her waist and leaned to the right. The two of them did a type of triple cartwheel together. When they came apart and landed on their hind feet, they walked back to the center, singing: "An' th'ere's nothin' at all to be done a'bout th'at!"

Rumple jumped into Mungo's arm at that last part, and they held that position for a few moments.

Immediately, all the other Jellicles stormed into the clearing, taking Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer by surprise.

"T'ime ta go!" Mungo said as he place Rumple back on her feet.

"I th'ink so," Rumple agreed.

They went to their left, but they were blocked by Jellylorum, Admetus, Bombalurina, Cassandra, Pouncival, Etcetera, Victoria, and Electra. They went to their right, but they were blocked by Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots, Tumblebrutus, Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Plato. They were about to run to the front of the clearing, but then they remembered their loot. They turned around to get it, but Asparagus, Alonzo, and Munkustrap were in the way. Alonzo and Munkustrap also held their sacks of loot in the air.

"Othe' way," Rumple whispered.

She and Mungo turned around and ran in the opposite direction, but Demeter and Quaxo stood in the way.

Mungo and Rumple turned back around and ran to the TS-E1 as everyone sang "And there's nothing at all to be done about that!"

Just then, Alonzo and Munkustrap threw the sacks over Mungo and Rumple's heads. Rumple tried to grab them, but they were thrown too high.

Mungo and Rumple looked at each other in frustration at losing their prize.

… ("Old Deuteronomy")

"You know, that wasn't a bad song," said Tumblebrutus.

Several of the others agree with him.

Unnoticed by anyone, Quaxo turned around and crawled closer to the front of the junkyard. He sniffed the air and looked up, as if he was in a trance.

Mungo was the first to notice this. He pointed to Quaxo, telling the others "Look at Quaxo."

Everyone turned and saw the tuxedo tom behave a little strangely. Just then, Coricopat and Tantomile walked near Quaxo. The two of them seemed to be entranced as well.

Finally, Quaxo said excitedly "Old Deuteronomy?"

A few of the Jellicles gave a ligh gasp. Quaxo was sensing that Old Deuteronomy was close.

Everyone looked at Coricopat and Tantomile, who were connecting their minds to see if Quaxo was correct.

Slowly, they opened their eyes and sang together "I believe it is Old Deuteronomy."

Everyone but Munkustrap started to get comfortable on the ground. Quaxo disappeared to the front of the junkyard as everybody (save Munkustrap) sang:

"Well, of all things, can it be really? Yes, no, ho, hi, oh my eye! My mind may be wandering, but I confess, I believe it is Old Deuteronomy."

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer lay down together on the trunk of the TS-E1. Mungo pulled Rumple closer to him. He pecked her on the cheek, and then they watched Munkustrap stand in the center of the clearing.

When he had everybody's attention, Munkustrap started to sing in a deep voice:

"Old Deuteronomy's lived a long time.

He's a cat who has lived many lives in succession.

He was famous in proverb and famous in rhyme

A long while before Queen Victoria's accession."

As Munkustrap sang, Mungo and Rumple shifted positions, and Mungo rested his head on Rumple's lap. She stroked his forehead delicately as they listened to the Jellicle Protector sing about his father.

"I kn'ow a lot of cats – an' people – th'ink th'at th'eir par'ents are old," Mungo whispered to Rumple, "But I th'ink Munk is exa'ggeratin' jus' a little bit a'bout h'is fath'er's age."

"Yeah, you an' meh b'oth," said Rumple, smiling down at her mate.

Rum Tum Tugger appeared at the makeshift door on the pipe next to the tire. He sang:

"Old Deuteronomy's buried nine wives,"

Munkustrap went to stand next to his younger brother on the pile of crates. Tugger continued singing:

"And more; I am tempted to say ninety-nine.

And his numerous progeny prospers and thrives,

And the village is proud of him in his decline."

"Looks l'ike we kn'ow wh'o Tugg'er gets his repu'tation as a queens' tom f'rom now," Mungo whispered to Rumple.

She snickered and said "I gu'ess you're r'ight."

Everyone started vocalizing before Munkustrap began to sing the next verse. Mungojerrie sat up and turn to Rumpleteazer. She lifted her lower right leg into the air, and Mungo started rubbing the underside of it seductively. Rumple was REALLY enjoying herself then.

Munkustrap sang on:

"At the sight of that placid and bland physiognomy

When he sits in the sun on the vicarage wall,

The oldest inhabitant croaks,"

Munkustrap and Tugger sang together:

"'Well… of all…

Things… can it be really? No! Yes!

Ho! Hi!

Oh, my eye!

My mind may be wandering, but I confess

I believe it is Old Deuteronomy!"

When they sang that last verse, Tugger pointed to the opposite end of the clearing. Munkustrap turned around and pointed in the same direction.

Everyone looked, and sure enough, they saw Quaxo approaching with Old Deuteronomy.

Mungo and Rumple quickly got off the TS-E1 and went to join everybody else as they clustered together. As they all walked closer to the front of the clearing, everybody sang:

"Well of all things, can it be really? Yes! No! Ho! Hi! Oh, my eye! My mind may be wandering, but I confess, I believe it is Old Deuteronomy!"

Old Deuteronomy entered the clearing; Quaxo followed him close behind.

They repeated this chorus one time. As they did so, several of the kittens went to Old Deuteronomy and hugged him. The elder cats shook his paws. Even Tugger bowed to his father when he reached the end of the clearing.

Everyone turned to the front of the clearing and sang "Well of all things, can it be really? Yes! No! Ho! Hi! Oh, my eyyyyyye!"

Then they turned back to Old Deuteronomy, who was sitting down on top of his tire. He sang "My legs may be tottery; I must go slow, and be careful of Old Deuteronomy."

Everyone watched him in respect and awe. Munkustrap had been standing next to Old Deuteronomy at his time. He turned back to the others and sang:

"Jellicle cats meet once a year

On the night we made the Jellicle Choice.

And now that the Jellicle leader is here,

Jellicle cats can all rejoice!"

… ("The Awefull Battle of the Pekes And the Pollicles")

Everybody started to move off to the sides of the clearing. Victoria and Jemima sat with Old Deuteronomy. The rest of the queens went to the left side, and all the toms except Munkustrap went to the right side.

After giving his father a signal, Munkustrap turned to the front and sang in a deep voice:

"Of the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles… together with some account of the participation of the Pugs and the Poms, and the Intervention of the Great Rumpus Caaaaaaaaat!"

In a slightly higher voice, Munkustrap sang rapidly:

"The Pekes and the Pollicles, everyone knows,

Are proud and implacable passionate foes.

It is always the same wherever one goes.

And the Pugs and the Poms, although most people say

That they do not like fighting, yet once in a way,

They now and again join into the fray.

And they…"

Queens: "_Bark!_"

Toms: "_Bark!_"

Queens: "_Bark!_"

Toms: "_Bark!_"

Queens: "_Bark!_"

Toms: "_Bark!_"

Queens: "_Bark!_"

Toms: "_Bark!_"

Munkustrap: "Until you could hear them all over the park!"

As Munkustrap went on, Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie went to get their costumes for the play on. Munkustrap had decided to make them Head Peke and Head Pollicle respectively. Rumpleteazer's costume consisted of a large piece of brown cloth with eyeholes cut in it and a large black object placed as a nose. She also wore a smaller piece of brown cloth around each of her paws. Mungojerrie's costume consisted of an inverted boot as a helmet, two shoeboxes on his front paws, and two small pillows on his lower paws.

When they finished getting dressed, they went back into the clearing. Munkustrap was just getting to their part. He sang:

"And no one at all was about on the street

"When a Peke-" Rumpleteazer entered next to Munkustrap from the left side of the clearing- "and a Pollicle-" Mungojerrie jumped out from the other side of the clearing- "happened to meet."

Mungo and Rumple faced each other off and spun around on one foot.

Munkustrap went on:

"They did not advance, or exactly retreat,

But they glared at each other, and scraped their hind feet."

Rumple and Mungo did just that.

Munkustrap sang: "And started to…"

"Ba'rk!" Rumpleteazer barked in her cockney accent.

"Ba'rk!" Mungojerrie barked in his accent the same way.

Rumple: "Ba'rk!"

Mungo: "Ba'rk! Ba'rk!"

_CRAP! _Mungo thought to himself, _I told myself I wouldn't do that!_

All week, everybody had been practicing this skit, but Mungo kept messing up the barking part between himself and Rumple. He told himself that he would not get it wrong this time, and yet he still had.

Rumple just went along nonchalantly: "Ba'rk!"

Mungo: "Ba'rk!"

Rumple: "Ba'rk!"

Munkustrap just gave Mungojerrie an annoyed glare. But he kept singing:

"Until you could hear them all over the park. And they…"

Rumpleteazer and the rest of the queens barked. Then Mungojerrie and the other toms barked. The queens barked; the toms barked, and barked again. Mungo just smirked when he realized that the toms did that to prevent him from looking dumb. The queens barked; the toms barked, and the queens barked once more.

Munkustrap sang "Until you could hear them all over the park" and rubbed Mungo on the side of the head.

Gesturing to Rumpleteazer, Munkustrap continued to sing: "Now the Peke, although people may say what they please…"

Right then and there, Rumpleteazer started rubbing her butt against Munkustrap's hip, much to everyone's surprise. Mungo just smirked.

Munkustrap kept singing "Is no British dog, but a Heathen Chinese" and hip-butted Rumple away.

Munk then sang on:

"And so all the Pekes, when they heard the uproar,

Some came to the window; some came to the door.

There were surely a dozen, more likely a score."

At that time, Rumpleteazer went over to Jennyanydots and asked her "H'ow am I doin', Mom?"

Jenny simply grinned and said "Just fine. But I'd suggest that you keep your distance from Munkustrap, or Demeter may get on your case."

"Oh don't wo'rry a'bout th'at," Rumple assured her, "Oh, w'atch this!"

Rumple then crawled up behind Munkustrap, who had his lower legs together. Rumple went up behind him and forced his legs apart and went underneath him, punching the air with her brown bags.

As she did this, Munkustrap sang: "And together, they started to grumble and wheeze

In their huffery-snuffery Heathen Chinese."

Then he tripped Rumpleteazer and pushed her to the right side of the clearing with his foot.

Moving off to the other side of the clearing, Munkustrap sang:

"But a terrible din is what Pollicles like;

For your Pollicle dog is a Dour Yorkshire tyke."

Off to the side, the other toms had been getting dressed in the same costumes as Mungojerrie. They all got in a line with Pouncival in front. When Munkustrap turned and saluted them to go, Pouncival saluted back.

"Ok'ay, 'ere we go," said Mungo.

Pouncival marched forward; Mungojerrie, Tumblebrutus, Asparagus, Coricopat, and Alonzo followed him close behind. They all started singing:

"There were dogs out of every nation:

The Irish, the Welsh, and the Dane.

The Russian, the Dutch, the Dalmatian,

And even from China and Spain.

From the Poodle, the balmy Alsatian,

And the Basset who growls on the train."

So far, the skit was turning out to be a disaster! Pouncival almost knocked Munkustrap over when he first walked out, Tumblebrutus ended up marching the wrong way, and Pouncival almost ended up going too far. But Munkustrap held onto his head to make the line stop.

He sang:

"And to those that are frisky and frollicle,

That my meaning be perfectly plain,"

Mungojerrie just smirked when Pouncival tried to punch Munkustrap to get him to let go of his head. He and the other toms sang:

"That my name is Little Tom Pollicle,

And you'd better not do it again!"

Munkustrap let go of Pouncival, but he lost his balance and fell flat onto his stomach.

Mungojerrie and Alonzo helped Pouncival up. At the same time, Skimbleshanks and Quaxo – dressed in shoe-helmets and bags around their paws – walked over to Munkustrap as he continued to sing:

"And his braw Scottish cousins are snappers and biters

And every dog-jack of them notable fighters;

And so they stepped out, with their pipers in order,

Playing _When the Blue Bonnets Came Over the Border_."

Skimbleshanks and Quaxo had been pretending to punch Munkustrap behind his back. Quaxo had even lost one of his shoes in the process! When Munkustrap noticed what the two of them were doing, he gave them a very annoyed look. This skit was turning out to be a disaster, and Munk seemed to be the only one that cared!

As Munkustrap got Skimbleshanks and Quaxo back into their proper positions, Rum Tum Tugger started playing on some makeshift bagpipes. They had been created from a football and candy canes, and they seemed to work quite well for him.

Tugger walked through the clearing, knocking over anyone in his path and continuing to play while everyone got into position for the climax of the skit.

The queens, all wearing either a Peke mask or a large white dog helmet, came into the clearing.

Munkustrap sang: "Then the Pugs and the Poms are no longer aloof,

But some from the balcony, some from the roof,

Joined into the din with a…"

Another round of barking was exchanged between the two sides, followed by Munkustrap with "Until you could hear them all over the park."

The queens and the toms slowly approached each other, pretending to look hostile. They sang "Huffery-snuffery, huffery-snuffery, huffery-snuffery, huffery-snuff."

Munkustrap: "Until you could hear them all over the park!"

Everybody burst into a large (and loud) round of barking, as if they were actually engaged in combat. When the barking got out of control, Munkustrap ran to the back and shouted at the top of his voice "NOOOOOO!"

Everybody dropped to the ground, holding their ears.

"Wow, g'ive us an ea'rache, w'hy don't ya, Munk?" Mungo muttered under his breath.

"I h'ope I won't be deaf in one ea'r bec'ause of th'is," Rumple muttered, being equally agitated.

Munkustrap didn't hear either of them. He continued:

"When these bold heroes together assembled,

The traffic all stopped, and the underground trembled,

And some of the neighbors were so much afraid,

That they started to ring up the Fire Brigade!"

"Oh, th'is is goin' ta be good," Rumple whispered to Mungo.

A few weeks earlier, when the Jellicles first decided to make a play based off of the famous battle, Admetus suggested seeking out the real Rumpus Cat and inviting him to participate in the skit. A lot of the other Jellicles thought this to be an outrageously odd suggestion, but in the end, Munkustrap had agreed to it, and he agreed to Admetus' suggestion. However, the one condition was that Admetus was going to have to find the Rumpus Cat on his own if he wanted to invite him. Oddly enough, just four days later, he told the others that he had found the Rumpus Cat, invited him, and received an acceptance for the invitation from him all on the same encounter.

Everyone was impressed by how easily Admetus had accomplished this, but they decided not to ask questions.

Anyway, as everyone crawled toward the front of the left side of the clearing, Munkustrap sang:

"When suddenly up, from a small basement flat,

Why who should stalk out but…"

Everyone sang with him "The Great Rumpussss Caaaaaaat!"

However, the Rumpus Cat jumped in from the other side of the clearing. Munkustrap turned around, rolled his eyes, and ran over to him. He led the Rumpus Cat to the center of the clearing.

The other cats all pretended to cower in fear. In actuality, several of them were trying to hold back the urge to laugh; the Rumpus Cat's costume looked ridiculous!

"Good entr'ance," Mungo whispered to Alonzo, "But not so good appe'arance."

"You can say that again," Alonzo nodded.

Munkustrap sang:

"His eyes were like fireballs fearfully blazing,

He gave a great yawn, and his jaws were amazing,"

The Rumpus Cat shut his jaws right in front of Munkustrap's nose, cause Munk to tremble slightly. But then he continued as the Rumpus Cat gave a pantomime:

"And when he looked out through the bars of the area,

You never saw anything fiercer…"

At that point the Rumpus Cat started Munkustrap in the eye and the fur on his head stood on end.

Munkustrap finished with a note of sarcasm in his voice: "Or hairier."

Now just about everyone was trying to hold back laughter; even Old Deuteronomy himself!

Finally, Munkustrap sang as he danced alongside the Rumpus Cat:

"And what with the glare of his eyes and his yawning,

The Pekes and the Pollicles quickly took warning!

He looked to the sky and he gave a great leap –

And they every last one of them scattered like sheep."

At that, everybody quickly left the clearing to remove their costumes. As Mungojerrie undressed, he said to Alonzo "I must s'ay; I sorta su'prised th'at the Rumpus Cat would want to embar'ass 'imself in such a manne'."

"You should tell that to Admetus," suggested Rumpleteazer.

"Hey, where is Admetus?" asked Plato.

"Don't you remember, Plato?" asked Tumblebrutus, "He told us that the Rumpus Cat wanted him to wait up at the entrance of the junkyard for him until he left. That was one of his conditions for his appearance; he wanted someone there to let him out as soon as he was no longer needed."

"Oh, silly me, I forgot," said Plato.

After they got out of their costumes, they all ran back out into the clearing and stood a certain distance apart from each other behind Munkustrap and the Rumpus Cat. Tugger came back out onto the TS-E1 to play his bagpipes again. When he was finished, he just grinned and brought a look on his face that was like "Yeah?" He was expecting some acknowledgement, but none came.

_Ha, no applause for you!_ Mungo thought.

Finally, everybody finished the song:

"All hail and all bow to the Great Rumpusssss Caaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

Then they all turned and bowed to Old Deuteronomy. Even the Rumpus Cat himself bowed.

… ("The Song of the Jellicles")

Everyone moved closer to Old Deuteronomy. He announced:

"Jellicle cats and dogs all must,

Pollicle dogs and cats all must,

Like undertakers, come to dust!"

Immediately after that, another sound of thunder was heard like before, and the Rumpus Cat scurried out of the clearing as quickly as possible. Demeter looked up and shouted "Macavity!"

Everyone looked, and sure enough, the ginger tom himself was there at the top of a junk pile.

"Hide!" said Munkustrap

Mungojerrie helped Rumpleteazer to her feet, and the two of them quickly left the clearing and hid in one of the piles of junk with some of the other Jellicles.

While they were down there, Rumpleteazer took her necklace off and replaced it with her collar.

"Mungo?" her voice broke the unpleasant silence.

"Yes, Rumple?" Mungo turned his attention to his mate.

"Wh'at does it sig'nify when Mac'avity gener'ates some thunde' sounds AND shows 'imself?" she asked her mate, who knew very well how to predict Macavity's tactics.

"It usually means th'at 'e is plannin' somethin'," he told her, "Somethin' bad. An' I mean ve'ry, ve'ry bad. Howeveh, th'at was jus' a wa'rning."

"Well, that's reassuring," said Bombalurina sarcastically.

Just then, Victoria started heading back out to the clearing.

"Vickie, wh'ere are you goin'?" Rumpleteazer asked her younger sister.

"I think it's safe to go back out," she said, "At least, I think that's what Old Deuteronomy believes."

Victoria then went back out into the clearing. After a moment, Alonzo just shrugged and followed her. Soon enough, all the other Jellicles went back outside. But Mungo and Rumple were a little more cautious, as they knew that Macavity should not be overestimated. Finally, they decided to just go back outside with everybody else.

By then, Electra was doing cartwheels across the clearing as Jennyanydots sang "Jellicles wash behind their ears."

As Pouncival did a cartwheel and a backflip, Jellylorum sang "Jellicles dry between their toes."

"Oh, we're almos' on!" Rumple pulled Mungo closer to the front of the clearing.

They got behind Corciopat and Tantomile, who sang "Jellicle cats are white and black."

Rumple walked between the two psychic cats and Mungo went around them. The two of them sang together "Jeh'llicle cats a're of moder'ate size."

Then Skimbleshanks, Tumblebrutus, and Pouncival each did two splits in the air and sang "Jellicles jump like a jumping-jack!"

Once again, Cassandra struck a pose and sang "Jellicle cats have moonlit eyes."

Everyone grouped together and sang "We're quiet enough in the morning hours;

We're quiet enough in the afternoon."

Munkustrap and Quaxo rushed to the front of the group and sang "Reserving our terpsichorean powers,"

All: "It comes by the light of the Jellicle moon!"

Alonzo ran forward and sang as he did a split: "Jellicle cats are black…"

Victoria, Etcetera, and Rumpleteazer: "And white!"

Quaxo, Skimbleshanks, and Tumblebrutus: "Jellicle cats, as we said, are small."

_In that case, I wonder if Bustopher Jones can still qualify as a Jellicle, _thought Mungojerrie.

Munkustrap, Plato, and Admetus: "If it happens to be a stormy night…"

Quaxo, Skimble, and Tumble: "We will practice a caper or two in the hall."

All: "If it happens the sun is shining bright…"

Rum Tum Tugger: "You would say we had nothing to do at all."

As Etcetera, Victoria, and Rumpleteazer gathered around Tugger's hind legs, everyone else sang:

"We are resting and saving ourselves to be right

For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball!"

Victoria and Etcetera nuzzled Tugger's legs, but Rumpleteazer kept her distance because Mungojerrie was watching her.

Finally, everyone repeated the chorus:

"Jellicle cats, come out tonight!

Jellicle cats, come one, come all!

The Jellicle moon is shining bright.

Jellicles, come to the Jellicle Ball."

By then, everybody had gotten into their positions in the clearing. They all danced in a synchronized manner as they quietly repeated the chorus:

"Jellicle cats, come out tonight.

Jellicle cats, come one, come all.

The Jellicle Moon is shining bright.

Jellicles come to the Jellicle ball."

… ("The Jellicle Ball")

Now it was time for the all-dancing session of the Jellicle Ball. Everyone moved in perfect sync with each other, and they were careful to pay close attention to every last movement they made.

After about five minutes of both planned and freestyle dancing, Old Deuteronomy signaled everyone to stop the dancing. It was time for the Mating Dance!

Victoria moved to the center of the clearing while everyone else slowly dropped to the ground. Finally, there was only one tom standing up.

To Mungojerrie's great surprise, it was Plato. Plato was the one that would be performing the full mating dance with Victoria.

"Wh'at the 'ell is goin' on?" Mungo whispered to Rumple, "I th'ought Vickie was inter'ested in Quaxo?"

"She is," Rumpleteazer assured to him, "I'll ex'plain th'at late'. R'ight now, it's t'ime fo'r the real act'ion!"

Mungo scoffed at Rumple's abrupt statement. Everyone watched as Victoria tentatively approached Plato. She turned her back to him. He ran his hands along her back, held onto her by the sides, and then lifted her into the air. He held onto her tight and gently stroked her legs.

"Let's go," Rumple whispered to Mungo. She took him by the paw and the two of them got closer to the center of the clearing.

Rumpleteazer noticed that Mungojerrie was sweating nervously. "Eve'rythin' alr'ight?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "I'm jus' a little hesi'tant a'bout th'is whole 'mating in fr'ont of eve'ryone else' thing."

"Don't wo'rry," she assured him, "Jus' foll'ow my lead."

All the Jellicles paired up with each other for the Mating Dance. Rumpleteazer started nuzzling against Mungojerrie's neck. He purred affectionately and caressed her cheek in his paw. Slowly, they embraced each other. All around them, everybody else was also getting intimate with his or her partner.

Mungojerrie gently lowered Rumpleteazer to the ground. The two of them held onto each other tightly, and then they began the mating process.

They breathed deeply as the adrenaline went pumping through their systems. They were carefully not to make too much noise, but their primary focus was still on each other.

Finally, the mating process was over, and Mungo and Rumple lay in each other's arms, sweating and on the verge of total relaxation.

"Amazin'" said Mungo in astonishment. He looked at Rumple and asked her "Wh'at now?"

"Now we t'ake a li'ttle nap," she said, "Mating in th'is manne' can rea'lly tire us out, so we sleep a wh'ile befo'e we continue dan'cing."

"Ok'ay," Mungo nodded. "But fi'rst, let's see w'ho else is pa'ired with who."

Rumple agreed to this. They looked around the other parts of the clearing. They saw Admetus with Etcetera and Tumblebrutus with Jemima. They also saw Alonzo with Cassandra and Asparagus with Jellylorum. Next, to their surprise, they saw Pouncival with Bombalurina.

"I'm gue'ssin' th'at th'ing Pouncival did durin' Tugg'er's song rea'lly paid off," Mungo commented.

"Wh'at I'd like to kn'ow is w'hy Coricopat and Tantomile are togethe'," said Rumple, pointing out the two psychic twins, who were wrapped in each other's arms.

"I th'ink Exotica is with 'em," said Mungo, "But I've concluded th'at it's best not to ask th'ose types of ques'tions a'bout Cori and Tanto."

"R'ight," said Rumple. Just then, she spotted the pair right next to Coricopat and Tantomile. She told her mate "Th'is is inter'esting. Quaxo is matin' with Elect'ra."

"Is 'e rea'lly?" asked Mungo, "But w'ait a minute; I thought Victo'ria and Quaxo w'ere togethe', and Elect'ra an' Plato w'ere togethe'. Did th'ey just 'switch' for t'he n'ight?"

"I'll exp'lain th'at later," said Rumple, "But I myself do f'ind it odd as to w'hy Quaxo wou'd ma'te with h'is cousin."

(Remember? Munkustrap and Macavity are brothers; Quaxo is Macavity's son and Electra is Munkustrap's daughter. That would make Quaxo and Electra cousins.)

Mungo looked directly to his left, and then asked his mate "Rumple, w'hy in the n'ame of King George's BUTTHOLE is you'r mom matin with Tugg'er?"

"Is she rea'lly?" asked Rumple, looking over at Jennyanydots. Sure enough, the Gumbie cat was right there with the Curious Cat. "Th'at's odd; I wonde' wh'ere my Dad is."

Mungojerrie looked around, and then he spotted Skimbleshanks. He told his mate "He's ove' th'ere. Based on wh'at I can see, 'e is eithe' with Demete', or he's with…"

"With w'ho?" asked Rumpleteazer.

Mungo answered in disgust "Victo'ria an' Plato."

Rumple looked over her shoulder, and from what she could see, Skimble was in fact with Victoria and Plato. Demeter was on her own, as Munkustrap was standing next to Old Deuteronomy, keeping watch over everybody else.

"W'hy wou'd you'r fathe' mate with you'r sisteh… AND 'er partne'?" asked Mungo.

"I 'ave no idea," Rumple answered, "May'be some people 'ere h'ad some catnip befo'ehand."

"Whateveh the rea'sons, we can investi'gate late'r," Mungojerrie decided. "Fo'r now, let's t'ake a nap."

"Ya don't 'ave to tell meh twice," Rumpleteazer smiled. She and Mungojerrie held each other closely, each raised one of their front legs in the air, and then they, like everyone else around them, drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

…

A few hours later, everyone woke up. Coricopat and Tantomile jerked up, as if something had caught their attention. Shortly after, Quaxo got up as well. Skimbleshanks soon got up and sniffed the air. Then, everyone else sat up and looked around. Finally, Quaxo pointed to the top of the platform next the TS-E1. Everyone turned and looked in the direction.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer looked surprised at what they saw. There was an elderly queen at the top of the platform, standing next to the pexiglass window.

"W'ho is th'at?" Mungo whispered to Rumple.

"I don't kn'ow," she told him, "But s'he looks somewh'at famil'iar."

"W'ell, whoeve'h she is, she looks l'ike she's in pain," said Mungo, "May'be we shou'd go h'elp 'er."

Rumple said "Yeah, I th'ink we shou'd."

Mungo and Rumple were about to go up to the platform, but before they could get very far, Alonzo ran up the TS-E1 and made a threatening gesture to the elderly queen, which scared her away.

"Wh'at the 'ell, Alonzo!" Rumple shouted angrily at the white and black patched tom.

Alonzo just ignored her as everybody broke into dance once again.

"I gu'ess it's dance now, ques'tions late'r," said Mungo.

For another five minutes, everyone did a combination of freestyle and choreographed dancing. They all danced like professionals. It was enough to leave any human staring in awe.

Once the dancing was finished, the elderly queen entered from the other end of the junkyard. Everyone turned to Old Deuteronomy and crawled closer to him.

Mungo went over to Rumple and told her "Now's ou'r chance. Let's go h'elp h'er."

The two of them started to make their way over to the queen, but they were stopped by Munkustrap.

"Wh'at's you'r prob'lem?" said Mungo angrily.

"Stay away from her," Munk held them back.

When the queen got a little closer, Rumpleteazer saw her face.

"W'ait, I recogn'ize 'er now," she whispered to Mungojerrie.

"W'ho is s'he?" he asked.

"I'll t'ell you in the b'ack," she said.

"Alr'ight," he agreed.

The two of them left clearing together, as did everyone else. Soon, the only ones left in the clearing with Old Deuteronomy and the elderly queen.


	22. The Jellicle Ball Part 3

Note: Please let me know if this chapter seems ambiguous or vague to you. I want to make sure that I'm making sense here.

In the back, everybody talked with each other while they were resting. There were several things that Mungojerrie wanted to address. First of all, there was the matter of why Plato had mated with Victoria and Quaxo had mated with Electra. They found out that Victoria and Quaxo had gotten into an argument a few weeks earlier, and they separated from each other. Plato and Electra had also gotten into a fight, and they had separated from each other as well. Plato had been so angry that he actually wanted to emotionally hurt Electra. So he asked Victoria to perform the Mating Dance with him. She accepted; as she felt that it would be the perfect way to make Quaxo jealous.

In response, Quaxo had asked Electra to perform the mating dance with him. This way, they could both get even with their ex-mates.

They had followed this plan until right after the mating dance. All of them had been under the impression that this action would make them feel triumphant over their former lovers.

The plan had completely backfired. While Plato and Victoria cared a lot for each other, and Quaxo and Electra also cared for each other, none of them felt very good about what they did after the Mating Dance was over. All of them had used a good friend to get back at a former lover.

Instead of feeling satisfied and boastful, all of them just felt downright miserable for what they had done. In a way, each of them actually felt as if they had betrayed the other three.

Right then and there, Quaxo, Victoria, Plato, and Electra made amends with each other, and agreed to never use each other again to make another feel jealous.

(Note: For anyone who may be interested, I'm actually thinking about writing a Hurt/Comfort fanfic based on the above content.)

Mungo and Rumple decided not to even ask why Jennyanydots had mated with Rum Tum Tugger, and why Skimbleshanks had mated with… Victoria and Plato. Neither of them felt like they really wanted to know.

The next thing that Mungojerrie wanted to discuss was the identity of the elderly queen they had just encountered. Rumpleteazer (and a few others, such as Demeter, Bombalurina, and Munkustrap) told him everything she knew about that queen. She was Grizabella, the former mate of Old Deuteronomy, and the mother of Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, and Macavity. She was also the grandmother of Alonzo, Quaxo, and Electra.

She was once one of the most loved members of the Jellicle Junkyard, until one day a few years earlier when she left to travel the world. She had no intention of returning, and forsaking the tribe was considered to be the only unforgivable sin a Jellicle could commit. Not long before Mungojerrie had joined the tribe, Grizabella had returned to the Junkyard, and she had still retained her glamorous image. She had even gotten a job as a model in a fashion organization run entirely by other cats. She was, in fact, praised by toms all over England.

The sole reason she had come to the Junkyard at that time was to brag about how leaving the tribe gave her more than she would ever have acquired if she had stayed there. Most of the cats in the tribe were furious that she had come back just to laugh in their faces.

But a few weeks afterwards, everything had changed. Grizabella's contract in the modeling business was terminated after an incident with the organization's manager. He had tried to take advantage of her, and when she refused, he beat her. She fought back and ran away, covered in bruises.

Over time, her dazzling figure deteriorated as she struggled to adapt to life on the streets.

In just four weeks, she had gone from a haughty symbol of beauty and fame to a cowering low-life reject.

Shortly after this transition, Grizabella began to wish that she had never left the Jellicle Junkyard. She was running out of options on what to do quickly, until she was reduced to just one option: Return to the Junkyard and beg for forgiveness.

A month before this event, begging for anything would have seemed far too below her dignity. But at that point in time, she would rather sacrifice what little dignity she had left than die in a gutter unnoticed and unloved.

It had taken her several weeks to build up the courage to just come within sight of the Junkyard, but she finally decided she would come during the Jellicle Ball.

So, at the end of Tugger's song, just after Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had gone to steal something from the Erickson family, Grizabella entered the clearing. Despite her hideous outward appearance, most of the adults could still recognize her. None of the adults were pleased to see her. They even held back any kitten that tried to comfort her.

Grizabella sang a very short song that subtly cautioned everyone to be wary of the dangers of the outside world. Then Demeter sang about Grizabella's past career, and how quickly her life had shifted to its present state.

After taking in all of this information, Mungo asked Munk "A'bout h'ow long was she 'ere afte' Tugg'er's song?"

"About four minutes," Munkustrap answered.

Mungojerrie quickly did the math in his head, and said aloud "Let's see 'ere; Grizab'ella's song was fou'r minutes, as was Bustoph'er's. So th'at does come out to t'he e'ight minutes of the Ball Rumple an' I missed."

"Speaking of which," Munkustrap turned to Rumpleteazer and told her, "Rumple, when Macavity first showed up tonight, your parents were worried sick when they could not find you. Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?"

"We w'ere only goin' ta be gone fo' a few min'utes," she elucidated, "We just w'anted ta get s'ome fresh loot ta use as p'rops."

"Next time, let someone know in advance if you're going somewhere," Munkustrap requested, "And please, stay in the Junkyard for the rest of the Ball."

"Of cou'se we w'ill, Munk," said Rumple, "We don't w'ant to m'iss anothe' second of it."

"Act'ually, Munk, I don't feel so s'ure a'bout cont'inuing," said Mungo.

"What do you mean, Mungo?" asked Bombalurina, "I thought you were having fun."

"Oh, bel'ieve meh, I was," said Mungo, "But Mac'avity is still out th'ere. I am s'ure th'at he's up to somethin'."

"What makes you so certain that he will come here again?" asked Demeter.

"I've s'een h'im use th'is patt'ern befo'e," Mungo enlightened everyone, "He h'as a me'thod of making three appea'rances and then str'iking his ta'rget. The fi'rst time 'e showed up, he was jus' lettin' us kn'ow th'at he's 'ere and he was tryin to sc'are us. The sec'ond time he showed up, he gave us a war'ning about the near future. I am su're th'at he w'ill show up a th'ird time, and when 'e does, somethin' terr'ible will h'appen."

There was silence for a moment, and then Munkustrap said "I'll make sure everybody is on his or her guard for the rest of the night, but I'm afraid I cannot cancel the rest of the Jellicle Ball."

Mungo gave Munkustrap a profound "You-have-got-to-be-fucking-kidding-me" look and said "Munk, did you m'iss somethin'? Mac'avity is comin' 'ere again tonight, and he su're as 'ell isn't coming to sing an' dance with us."

"What would you have me do, Mungo?" inquired Munkustrap impatiently. "Do you want me to have the other Jellicles sharpen their claws and fangs and take up arms?"

"At le'ast then they'll 'ave some chance of defendin' themselves!" said Mungo.

"Mungo, throughout the Jellicle Tribe's entire history, nothing has ever stopped us from carrying out the Jellicle Ball," Munkustrap told his friend, "On a few occasions, there have been some great obstacles."

"S'uch as?" Mungo raised an eyebrow.

"Thunderstorms, power failures, roaming herds of dogs," Munkustrap told him, "But nothing has ever prevented the Jellicle Ball from being fully carried out. This tradition has been upheld for many decades, and I have no intention of breaking it tonight."

"I adm'ire you'r cult'ural obligations, Munk," said Mungo, "I rea'lly do. But bel'ieve meh, I'm su're any regard Mac'avity m'ight have h'ad fo'r the sacredness of the Jeh'llicle Ball disapp'eared a long time ago."

"Macavity wouldn't dare harm anyone here while Old Deuteronomy is with us," said Munk, "That is one of Macavity's few weaknesses; the only one here who possesses greater power than him is our father. Because of that, Macavity fears confrontation with him."

"Th'en it is Old Deute'onomy we shou'd be conce'rned about," Mungo concluded, "We m'ust pro'tect h'im from Macavity's henchcats."

"You have my word, Mungo," said Munkustrap, "Alonzo and I will protect our leader with our lives. If Macavity shows up, we will keep him away from Old Deuteronomy."

Mungo was about to say something else, but then Alonzo came over and told everyone "Come on; the Ball's about to resume!"

Munkustrap looked at Mungojerrie and told him "I'm sure everything will be alright, Mungo. Now let's go; we have a Ball to finish."

Mungojerrie rolled his eyes in angry defeat and said "Th'is is foolish. But if you're su're, then I'll t'ake you'r word. Howeveh, if Mac shows up lat'er, don't s'ay I didn't w'arn ya!"

Not another word was spoken as everyone went back to the clearing.

… ("The Moments of Happiness")

A few minutes later, the Jellicles started returning to the clearing. As before, most of the lights were off. Grizabella had left; leaving Old Deuteronomy alone there. Soft music slowly started playing in the background.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer sat with each other to the left of the clearing, and they listened to the music. Mungo really liked the music; it was very gentle and emotional to him.

A few moments later, he and Rumple saw Skimbleshanks and Jellylorum helped Gus the Theatre Cat outside from the other end.

Mungo really liked Gus; he once was an actor cat, but he had recently been forced to retire, due to his age. Gus was very old. In fact, he was the only member of the Jellicle Tribe that was older than Old Deuteronomy. Also like Old Deuteronomy, he was loved by all.

After quickly surveying the area surrounding the clearing, Munkustrap and Alonzo confirmed that Macavity was nowhere in sight. Then the two of them joined everyone else down in the clearing. There, Alonzo cleared a way for Gus, and then he went to lie on the ground near Quaxo and Victoria.

Jennyanydots got a paint can for Gus to sit on. After expressing his gratitude to her with a nod, Gus sat down. Skimble and Jenny went to go sit down together somewhere else on the ground, but Jellylorum stayed with her mate's father.

"Say, wh'ere is Aspar'agus?" asked Mungo.

"I don't kn'ow," said Rumple, "I th'ink Alonzo s'aid 'e was keeping w'atch at the fr'ont of the Junkya'd."

Mungo scoffed and said "W'ell, at least Munk took my specu'lation a LI'TTLE seri'ously. It's a good sign if he h'as some'body looking out fo'r Mac'avity."

"Shhh!" said Demeter, looking over her shoulder at the two calicos.

"Wh'at, wh'at is it?" asked Mungo. Then he remembered from what Rumple had told him earlier; this was the part of the Ball where Old Deuteronomy presented the others with an important philosophical lesson about life.

"Now ya kn'ow h'ow I feel w'hen you hush meh," said Rumple.

Mungo smiled at her, stroked her cheek, and said "I'll m'ake it up to you lat'er."

She smiled back at him, but then they quickly quieted down.

Once everyone was quiet, Old Deuteronomy began to chant:

"The moments of happiness…

We've had the experience, but missed the meaning.

And approach to the meaning… restores the experience

In a different form…"

So far, Mungojerrie couldn't make heads or tails about what Old Deuteronomy was trying to emphasize. Neither could anyone else, for that matter.

Nevertheless, he continued, speaking a little louder:

"Beyond any meaning

We can assign to happiness.

The past experience revived in the meaning

Is not the experience of one life only,

But of many generations."

He paused for a moment, and then finished:

"Not forgetting… something that is probably quite ineffable."

Mungo and Rumple tried to comprehend what Old Deuteronomy meant, but, like everyone else, they were confused.

Just then, Mungo noticed Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima were all sitting close to each other in the center. Coricopat lowered himself towards the ground on his knees and raised his right arm in the air behind him. Tantomile held her brother's right paw in her left paw, and then she sat up and held out her right hand to Jemima. Jemima slowly took Tantomile's paw in hers, and stood up on her hind legs. Then, she sang in an angelic voice:

"Moonlight…

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you,

Open up; enter in.

If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life will begin."

Everyone suddenly understood what Old Deuteronomy meant: Happiness was an everyday feeling; the most joyous feeling of them all. However, many people took it for granted, without considering it to be a much more complex subject then they would believe it to be. Basically, Old Deuteronomy was telling them that true happiness is rare, but everyone would be able to experience it at least once before they died.

Mungo and Rumple liked Jemima's interpretation of Old Deuteronomy's lesson. They repeated it with everyone else, including Gus:

"Moonlight…

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you,

Open up; enter in.

If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life will begin."

The music started to get a little stronger. Mungo and Rumple gazed up at the sky, lost in thought as they absorbed Old Deuteronomy's lesson.

Finally, everyone including Gus rose to his or her hind feet. The music continued rising in intensity, and after it reached its highest point, Gus started walking towards the center of the Junkyard. Jellylorum picked up the paint can and followed Gus.

Most of the other Jellicles started moving back to rest on the pipe, the door, the crates, the TS-E1, and the other platforms and piles of junk on that end of the clearing.

Old Deuteronomy got up from his tire and went over to Gus. Mungo and Rumple could not help but smile as the Jellicle leader kindly put his arm around the elderly theatrical cat.

After she moved the paint can to the center of the clearing, Jellylorum went over to Gus and took his paw in hers. As Munkustrap helped Old Deuteronomy back up to his tire, Jellylorum helped Gus sit back down on the paint can. She nuzzled next to him, smiled, and then she turned to the front of the clearing.

… ("Gus The Theatre Cat")

Everyone watched as Jellylorum sang in her sweet and motherly voice:

"Gus is the cat at the Theatre Door.

His name, as I ought to have told you before,

Is really Asparagus."

Mungo whispered to Rumple "I th'ought th'at h'is son's n'ame was Aspar'agus."

"Th'at is t'rue," she nodded, "Wh'at's you'r point?"

"Wh'at a'bout all that stuff f'rom 'The Naming of Cats?'" said Mungo, "I rec'all it said no two Jeh'llicles can 'ave the s'ame sec'ond name."

"Jus' listen," Rumple told her mate.

Jellylorum kept singing:

"But that's such a fuss

To pronounce, that we usually call him just Gus."

_Oh, that makes much more sense. _Mungo thought to himself.

Jellylorum continued singing:

"His coat's very shabby; he's thin as a rake,

And he suffers from palsy that makes his paw shake.

Yet he was, in his youth, quite the smartest of cats –

But no longer a terror to mice or to rats."

_Oh boy,_ thought Mungo, _I think she's going to sing about Gus' early life. I'd like to hear about that. But Gus doesn't talk about it often._

Jellylorum sang:

"For he isn't the cat that he was in his prime;

Though his name was quite famous, he says, in his time.

And whenever he joins his friends at their club

(Which takes place at the back of the neighboring pub),

He loves to regale them, if someone else pays,

With anecdotes drawn from his palmiest days.

For he once was a star of the highest degree –

He has acted with Irving; he has acted with Tree.

And he likes to relate his success on the Halls,

Where the Gallery once gave him seven cat-calls."

"Isn't gettin' a cat-call a bad th'ing?" Mungo asked Rumple.

"I th'ink she m'eans th'at Gus rec'ieved ONLY seven cat-calls, while the aver'age human acto'r receives many mo're," Rumple speculated, "She m'ust mean th'at the some people in t'he audience l'iked Gus even m'ore th'an the human acto'rs."

Mungo nodded and they both returned their attention to Jelly as she sang:

"But his grandest creation, as he loves to tell,

Was Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell."

Mungo and Rumple noticed Skimbleshanks was crawling in on the TS-E1 right at that time. However, he was wearing the vest he always wore when we worked on the train.

"I thou'ght you'r Dad h'ad t'he n'ight off," Mungo whispered to Rumple.

"You'r r'ight, he does," she nodded, "I wonde' w'hy he h'as his vest on."

Just then, Mungojerrie remembered. He whispered "H'is song is r'ight afte' Gus' song."

"Oh, yeah, th'at's w'hy!" said Rumple.

"Be quiet!" Demeter whispered from the pipe.

Rumple and Mungo quickly quieted down. Gus, meanwhile, brought a light smile onto his face, and then he started to sing:

"I have played, in my time, every possible part.

And I used to know… seventy speeches by heart.

I'd extemporize back-chat, I knew how to gag;

And I knew how to let the cat out of the bag.

I knew how to act with my back and my tail.

With an hour of rehearsal, I never could fail.

I'd a voice that could soften the hardest of hearts,

Whether I took the lead, or in character parts.

I have sat by the bedside of poor Little Nell;

When the Curfew was rung, then I swung on the bell.

In the Pantomime season, I never fell flat.

And I once understudied Dick Whittington's Cat.

But my grandest creation, as history will tell,

Was Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell."

Mungo and Rumple looked at each other. They were rather impressed with Gus' life story. They knew that he had had a very prolific career in the theatre, but they did not know it was THAT prolific.

The music seemed to get a little jollier as Jellylorum sang:

"Then, if someone will give him a toothful of gin,

He will tell how he once played a part in _East Lynne_.

At a Shakespeare performance he once walked on pat,

When some actor suggested the need for a cat."

Gus continued triumphantly:

"And I say: 'Now, these kittens, they do not get trained

As we did in the days when Victoria reigned.

They never get drilled in a regular troupe,

And they think they are smart just to jump through a hoop.'"

Jellylorum placed her paws on Gus' arm and sang:

"And he says as he scratches himself with his claws"

Gus sang with a little less vigor:

"Well, the Theatre is certainly not what it was.

These modern productions are all very well,

But there's nothing to equal, from what I hear tell,

That moment of mystery

When I made history

As Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell."

"Gus rea'lly seems proud of th'is Fi'efr'orfiddle c'aracter," Mungo noted and said to his mate.

"It was h'is favo'rite role," Rumple told him, "H'e must h'ave done it a'bout one hund'red times. Lite'rally."

Mungo looked back at the TS-E1. Skimbleshanks was sleeping over there! Mungo nudged Rumple and told her "I gu'ess you'r Dad got bo'red."

"Let's jus' h'ope he's awake fo'r his own song," Rumple remarked.

The two of them looked back at Gus. He managed to stand up straight and walk to the front of the clearing. Then he sang:

"I once crossed the stage on the telegraph wire

To rescue a child when a house was on fire.

And I think I can still, much better than most,

Produce bloodcurdling noises-" Gus made a very reteched sound with his voice right then, and then finished the verse: "to bring on the ghost.

And I once played Growltiger – could do it again…

Could do it again… could do it again…"

Mungojerrie's eyes lit up. He turned to Rumpleteazer and asked her "Wh'at does h'e mean 'he on'ce played Growltig'er'?

"W'ell, you see," she explained, "Shor'tly afte' Growltig'er's demise, we cre'ated a skit b'ased on h'is death and we named it 'Growltig'er's Last Stand.' Gus played Growltig'er an' Jellylorum played Gri'ddlebone."

"Fas'cinating," said Mungo.

When they looked back to the center of the clearing, they saw Gus slowly walk a little to the left (which was the right from their point of view). He almost looked as if he was mesmerized. After a few moments of silence, he turned back to the front of the clearing and sang sorrowfully:

"These... modern productions... are all very well,

But there's nothing... to equal... from what I hear tell…"

Mungo and Rumple could tell that Gus was about to start tearing up, based upon his voice.

Nevertheless, he continued:

"That moment of… mystery…

When I… made… history…"

Then he lowered his head and started lightly sobbing. Jellylorum went over to him and held him close. Old Deuteronomy got off of his tire and started to walk towards Gus again, but Jellylorum was already helping him out of the clearing.

Before he left, Gus looked back at Old Deuteronomy. The two of them smiled at each other, and then Jellylorum helped him leave the clearing. In the process, Jennyanydots picked up the paint can and moved it away.

Both Mungo and Rumple really liked his song. So far, it was the most depressing one of the Jellicle Ball (At least of the ones they had heard), but in that song, Gus was able to go over his life's accomplishments and tell the entire tribe about them.

… ("Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat") (Now it's time for my favorite song in the musical!)

Just then, the lights all came on and the gloomy music was replaced with jovial music.

Old Deuteronomy turned to the cat nearest to him – Jemima – helped her up off the ground and sang: "Skimbleshanks…"

She held his paws in hers and joined in with him: "The Railway Cat…"

Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and everyone else sang: "The cat of the Railway Train…"

Everyone turned to look at Skimbleshanks, but he was still asleep.

However, everyone kept singing. Mungojerrie, Tumblebrutus, and Munkustrap helped Old Deuteronomy get back to the tire while Rumpleteazer crawled on all fours towards the TS-E1 with Pouncival, Electra, and Etcetera.

Everybody sang together:

"There's a whisper down the line at 11:39

When the Night Mail's ready to depart,"

After helping Old Deuteronomy, Tumblebrutus crawled with his friends to the TS-E1, Munkustrap sat with his father, and Mungojerrie stood out in the clearing. Victoria, Alonzo, Jemima, and Jennyanydots were already gathered there. Jellylorum, Admetus, and Exotica were sitting on some of the crates next to Old Deuteronomy, and Coricopat, Tantomile, and Cassandra were lying on the platform behind the TS-E1 and the tire. All of them concentrated on Skimbleshanks, who was still asleep.

Then they all sang together:

"Saying 'Skimble, where is Skimble?'"

Skimble shot up, startled by how loud that verse had been sung. But then he just smiled and rose to his hind legs as everyone else sang:

"'Has he gone to hunt the thimble?

We must find him, or the train can't start.'"

Keeping the grin on his face, Skimbleshanks looked down at all the cats on the ground below and sang:

"All the guards and all the porters and the stationmaster's daughters

Would be searching high and low."

Mungojerrie chuckled when he saw Etcetera stand on her legs and look under them. That seemed to be her method of "searching high and low."

Skimble went on:

"Saying 'Skimble, where is Skimble? For unless he's very nimble,

Then the Night Mail just can't go.'"

Skimble slid off the TS-E1 and ran to the left side of the clearing. Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and the kittens followed him.

Asparagus and Rum Tum Tugger entered the Junkyard from the left side of the clearing. Asparagus ran over to near Skimble, and Tugger climbed up to the platform with most of the adult cats.

Skimble continued to sing:

"At 11:42 with the signal overdue

And the passengers all frantic to a man –"

On that last line, Skimble started running around in circles. Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Etcetera, Victoria, Coricopat, Tantomile, Jemima, and Electra all imitated his movements.

As he turned around, Mungo spotted Tugger on top of the platform behind the tire. He was DANCING WITH CASSANDRA!

_Let's hope Alonzo doesn't turn around, _Mungo thought to himself.

Finally, Skimble turned around and resumed singing:

"That's when I would appear and I'd saunter to the rear.

I'd been busy in the luggage van!"

Skimble inadvertently lifted his left lower leg into the air on that last line. Asparagus tapped his best friend on the shoulder and pointed it out.

Skimble lowered his leg and ran a little to his left. Asparagus followed him as everyone else sang:

"Then he gave one FLASH of his glass-green eyes…"

When everyone said "FLASH," Skimble jerked his head over his shoulder, startling Asparagus and making him stumble backwards. Fortunately, Tumblebrutus was there to catch his father before he fell over.

Skimble did a series of movements in the clearing, which Etcetera, Jemima, and Rumpleteazer all tried to imitate behind him.

At the same time, everyone sang:

"And the signal went 'All Clear!'"

Skimble ran around the clearing and sang:

"They'd be off at last for the northern part

Of the Northern Hemisphere!"

Skimble started doing a type of march/dance around the clearing. Pouncival, Jemima, Victoria, Rumpleteazer, Tantomile, Etcetera, Electra, and Cassandra followed him around.

Rum Tum Tugger then went to the platform to the top left of the TS-E1 and lay there, watching everyone else.

Mungojerrie sat on the pipe and watched. He thought it was funny that Pouncival was the only tom hanging out with the seven queens that were following Skimble. Everyone sang: "Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat; the Cat of the Railway Train!"

They ran in a circle until Skimble arrived in front of Asparagus and Tumblebrutus. Then Pouncival and the seven queens dropped to the ground and pretended to be asleep as Skimble ran around the area and went on:

"You could say that by and large it was me who was in charge

Of the sleeping car express"

As Pouncival and the seven queens yawned and stretched, Skimble sang:

"From the driver and the guards to the bagmen playing cards,

I'd supervise them all… more or less."

Skimble surveyed everyone in the front of the clearing while everyone else sang:

"Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces

Of the travelers in the first and the third."

On those lines, Mungojerrie could have sworn that he heard Rumpleteazer's voice over everyone else's.

Asparagus then tapped Skimble on the shoulder and pointed at something. Mungo looked, and what he saw looked like Electra trying to pull off Cassandra's tail. As Skimble ran over to settle the problem, everyone sang:

"He establishes control by a regular patrol,

And he'd know at once if anything occurred."

Skimble pulled Electra away from Cassandra, and Cassandra pretended to place a coin in his paw behind his back.

Skimble walked to the front of the clearing as everyone sang:

"He would watch you without winking and he saw what you were thinking

And it's certain that he didn't approve…"

Skimble started pacing the area again, and he spotted Jemima and Etcetera talking with each other. He went over to them and got their attention.

Everyone else sang:

"Of hilarity and riot, so the folk were very quiet

When Skimble was about and on the move."

Skimble went back to the front of the clearing while Pouncival and the seven queens held hands, ran towards Skimble, ran backwards as he followed them, and ran forward again. In that time, everyone sang:

"You could play no pranks with Skimbleshanks!

He's a cat that couldn't be ignored.

So nothing went wrong on the Northern Mail

When Skimbleshanks was aboard."

Pouncival and the seven queens slid toward the back of the clearing. Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie waved at each other for a brief moment before Skimble ran to the back. Skimble danced and did some pantomime over the next several lines:

"It was very pleasant when they found their little den

With their name written up on the door."

Everyone else (imitating a train): "WOO WOO!"

Skimble: "And their berth was very neat with a newly folded sheet

And not a speck of dust on the floor."

Suddenly, Rumpleteazer felt a sneeze coming on. She struggled to hold it back, but her nose really itched.

Skimble: "There was every sort of light – you could make it dark or bright;

And a button you could turn to make a breeze."

Everyone else (excluding Rumpleteazer, who was still fighting back the sneeze): "WOO WOO!"

Skimble: "And a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in,

And a crank to shut the window should you sneeze."

Rumple couldn't hold it anymore. She sneezed so loudly that Victoria jumped.

Mungojerrie could not help but laugh at the irony in that scenario. Fortunately, his laughter was drowned out by Skimble's next lyrics:

"Then the guard looked in politely and would you ask you very brightly

'Do you like your morning tea…'"

Everyone else: "'Weak or strong?'"

Skimble: "But I was right behind him and was ready to remind him

'For Skimble won't let anything go wrong.'"

Skimble did some more pantomime as everyone sang:

"When they crept into their cozy berths and pulled up the counterpane…"

All the queens started vocalizing while the toms did the singing. The toms sang:

"They all could reflect it was very nice

To know that they wouldn't be bothered by mice

They could leave all that to the Railway Cat…"

Everyone (save Skimble): "The Cat of the Railway Train!"

Now it was time to do the really exciting part of the song: The Jellicles were going to construct a giant model train!

The Jellicles went to grab various parts of the model as they sang:

"Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat; the Cat of the Railway Train."

Skimble went to the trunk and stood on top. It opened up until it extended to its full height.

Old Deuteronomy waved at Skimbleshanks as the trunk rose; in response, Skimble saluted the Jellicle leader.

As Jennyanydots pulled out the central part of the model train from the trunk, everyone else got another part of the model. Mungojerrie, Alonzo, Munkustrap, Admetus, and Coricopat got the largest wheels. Electra, Rumpleteazer, Victoria, and Jellylorum got the two connecting beams. Cassandra, Tantomile, Jemima, and Etcetera got the smallest wheels. Tumblebrutus got the lighting device. Pouncival got the umbrella. Asparagus got the steam maker.

As they all put everything together, they sang:

"Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat; the Cat of the Railway Train!"

After they assembled the train, Skimbleshanks held onto his collar and continued to sing whilst doing a little pantomime:

"In the watches of the night, I was always fresh and bright.

Every now and then I'd have a cup of tea

With perhaps a drop of Scotch while I was keeping on the watch

Only stopping here and there to catch a flea."

Mungojerrie was positioned right next to Rumpleteazer. The two of them smiled at each other as the song went on.

Skimble got off the trunk and ran to the front of the clearing as he continued to sing:

"They were fast asleep at Crewe and so they never knew

That I was walking up and down the station.

They were sleeping all the while I was busy at Carlisle

Where I met the stationmaster with elation!

They might see me at Dumfries if I summoned the police

If there was anything they ought to know about."

Everyone else sang together:

"When they got to Gallowgate, there they did not have to wait –

For Skimbleshanks would help them to get Ouuuuuuuttt!"

Just then, Electra raised the beam too high, causing Rumpleteazer to lose her balance. She tripped and accidently knocked Mungojerrie over. He fell over and accidently stumbled into the train. Pretty soon, everyone fell over and the train fell apart.

Everyone looked to see if Skimbleshanks was angry. To the contrary, he just smirked, turned to Old Deuteronomy, and shrugged.

Everybody else smiled and sang:

"And… he… gives you a wave of his long brown tail

Which says I'll see you again!"

Skimble did some more dancing, and everyone else joined in, even Old Deuteronomy. Everyone sang:

"You will meet without fail on the Midnight Mail

The Cat of the Railway Train."

Skimble ran around the area one last time. This time, Mungojerrie was also part of the group that followed him.

Everybody then spread out all over the vicinity while Alonzo and Munkustrap went over to Skimble.

The two of them lifted him into the air while everyone sang the last line of the song:

"Thhhhheeee Caaaaaat of the Railway Traaaaaaaaaaain."

Immediately when the song ended, the lights all blinked for the third time that night, and a crash was heard. Another sound of thunder came about. A few screams went out in surprise and shock.

Everyone got closer to each other and looked all over the area for anything out of the ordinary. Munkustrap and Alonzo took defensive positions around Old Deuteronomy.

Before anyone else, Mungojerrie knew what was wrong.

Note: The rest of the Jellicle Ball may take up another two chapters, instead of just another one as I had originally anticipated. We'll just see how it turns out.


	23. The Jellicle Ball Part 4

Note: I decided to make "Macavity" one full chapter. The rest of the Jellicle Ball will be completed in the next chapter.

A few crashes were heard all over the junkyard. Everyone looked in different directions, but remained close to each other.

"Macavity!" Demeter shouted for the third time that night.

"Ya TH'INK?" shouted Mungojerrie. But no one heard him.

An evil cackle penetrated the surrounding area. It was Macavity's signature laugh. It sent shivers up several of the Jellicles' spines.

Munkustrap kept a keen eye out for Macavity, making sure to stay close to Old Deuteronomy to protect him.

Without warming, Macavity appeared on top of the TSE-1 and came into the light. He gave another loud cackle and raised his arms into the air.

He used his hypnosis to mesmerize all of the Jellicles except Old Deuteronomy. Several of the Jellicles tried to resist, but they all found themselves frozen in their positions.

Three of Macavity's henchcats ran right in front of them. They were carrying a net. They reached Old Deuteronomy and threw the net over him. Then they firmly but carefully took the ancient Jellicle Leader away from the junkyard.

Macavity danced through the Jellicles and stopped by Munkustrap. The ginger cat whispered something into his older brother's ear and then sauntered out of the clearing.

Once he left, the other Jellicles were free of his hypnosis. They all flew into a fit of panic and fear.

All over the clearing, cats shouted things like "What happened?" "He just showed up out of nowhere!" "He took Old Deuteronomy!"

Everyone turned to Munkustrap for orders. With Old Deuteronomy gone, he was in charge.

"What did Macavity tell you, Munk?" Alonzo asked his uncle.

"He said that he wanted something," Munkustrap struggled to recall what Macavity had told him. His mind had been in a daze when Macavity had spoken into his ear, but he managed to retain what he had been told. "Now I remember! He said that… he wanted… a… a song."

Everyone looked at each other in surprise and confusion.

"A song?" said Skimbleshanks.

"Yes," Munkustrap nodded, "He said that if we sing a song about him, and if he likes it, he'll let Old Deuteronomy go."

"Did he give you any guidelines about how he wanted the song to be structured?" inquired Jellylorum.

"Yes, he gave me two," Munkustrap explained, "First, he said he did not want us to sugarcoat the song. He said he wanted it to be about what his magic powers, and his reputation in crime… among other things. Secondly, he said he wanted only the queens to sing it."

"That is understandable," said Skimbleshanks, "Knowing how libidinous he can be."

"What does 'libidinous' mean?" Pouncival whispered to Electra.

"I think it means 'lustful,'" answered the tortoiseshell.

Munkustrap ignored them and turned to his mate and her sister. He told them "Demeter, Bombalurina, of all the queens here, you know Macavity the best. Do you suppose you could lead the song?"

"Sure, Munk," said Bomba, "Off the top of my head, I can think of several things about Macavity to sing about. Many of them are VERY honest with regards to how I think of him."

"Good," Munkustrap looked to everyone as a whole and said "I want all toms to come with me to the front of the junkyard. We'll try to find Macavity and his henchcats from there. I want all the queens to stay here and sing that song."

"We'll see what we can do," Demeter promised her mate, "You just concentrate on rescuing Old Deuteronomy."

"Oh, we will," Munkustrap nodded. He looked around at the toms and shouted "Let's move!"

All the toms departed for the clearing and started making their way to the front of the junkyard. Out of fear, all the queens except Bombalurina and Demeter also retreated to some secure hiding spots. But the red and black queen and the gold and black queen remained in the center of the clearing, quickly thinking up some verses to the new song in their head.

As the toms made their way to the front of the clearing, Mungojerrie was walking directly behind Munkustrap. The calico tom gazed at the black and silver striped tom and told him "Ad'mit it."

"Admit what?" asked Munkustrap.

Mungojerrie stopped him and turned him around. He angrily told him "Ad'mit it; I w'as r'ight."

"Yes, I do admit you were right, Mungo," Munkustrap agreed, "But now's not the time for this."

"I TO'LD you to t'ake some prec'autions!" shouted Mungojerrie, "But NO! Ya had ta let th'at stu'pid b'all t'ake prec'edence!"

"The Jellicle Ball is anything but stupid," Munkustrap glared at Mungo, "It is the most important tradition in the Jellicle Tribe. It's going to take more than my brother to prevent me from seeing it through to the end."

Mungo could not believe what he was hearing. "You'r brothe' jus' kidn'apped you'r fathe' and all you c'an th'ink about is the BALL?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mungo," Munkustrap corrected him, "Of course not. Right now, the most important thing is that we save my father. The rest of the ball comes after that."

"I have an idea," Alonzo interrupted their debate, "Let's all just SHUT UP AND WORK TOGETHER!"

"Sounds like sage advice to me," said Admetus.

All the toms met at the front of the junkyard. Once there, Munkustrap brought them together and they began a discussion.

"Before I present my own plan to the rest of you, does anyone here have a suggestion for rescuing Old Deuteronomy?" he inquired.

No one answered at first. Then Rum Tum Tugger said "Actually, Munk, I have a plan that just might work."

"You're SURE, Tugger?" asked Munkustrap, "I need to know that you're serious and that this is not just another one of your practical jokes."

"You have my word, Munk," Tugger swore, "This is not a joke. I have a genuine idea for how we can get Dad back."

"Alright," Munkustrap listened to his brother, "What do you have in mind?"

"It's not something I can do just in the moment," said Tugger, "But the plan can be implemented in less than ten minutes."

"Alright, do whatever you need to do in those ten minutes," said Munk, "We'll be working up a plan of our own in the meantime."

"Got it," said Tugger. He turned to Quaxo and told him "Quaxo, I'm going to need you to come with me."

"Why?" asked the tuxedo tom.

"You'll see," said the Maine Coon.

The other toms watched as the two of them vanished behind a pile of junk.

Munkustrap addressed the others "We'll split up into pairs and search the junkyard ourselves. Mungojerrie, you're with Alonzo. You two search the northeastern part of the junkyard. Tumblebrutus, you're with Skimbleshanks. You two search the northwestern part. Pouncival, you're with Admetus. You two search the southeastern part. Plato, you're with Asparagus. You two search the southwestern part. Corciopat, you're with me. We'll search the center of the junkyard. I want everybody to report back to the clearing in five minutes. Got that?"

The other nine toms nodded.

"Alright, go, go, go!" They scattered and began their search.

Alonzo and Mungojerrie were actually glad that they had ended up with each other. Sure, in the past, they had somewhat disliked each other. But ever since the day on Westminster Bridge, each of them had considered the other to be his best friend.

"I 'ave a rea'lly bad feelin' a'bout this," said Mungojerrie.

"Just stay calm, Mungo," said Alonzo, "We'll find Old Deuteronomy."

"It's not findin' Old Deute'onomy that wo'rries meh," said the calico tom, "I'll t'ell ya wh'at really worries meh: We left all the qu'eens alone in the clea'ring with th'at luna'tic fathe' of you'rs running amok in the sha'dows. They a're jus' are vulne'rable as we are."

"The queens know how to defend themselves," Alonzo assured his best friend, "Munkustrap and I gave them lessons in self-defense. All of them proved to be very good figthers. In fact, just between you and me…" he paused and looked around to make sure no one else was around… "When I was privately tutoring Etcetera, she managed to knock me on my ASS!"

Mungo could not help but chuckle at that statement; the idea of young, playful Cetty knocking Alonzo onto his ass was almost inconceivable to him.

"H'ow did she man'age th'at?" Mungo asked. Then he added "Jus' out of cur'iosity."

"Well, it happened near the end of her lesson," Alonzo recalled as they went searching through various piles of junk for any sign of Macavity or his henchcats, "I was teaching her the final move. I had somewhat let my guard down at the time – I mean, it was Cetty, after all! – and I demonstrated the proper movements for the attack I showed her. Not only did she repeat them very well, but she used the process on me perfectly."

"I'll b'et she w'as sho'cked," said Mungo.

"'Shocked' seems to fit," Alonzo agreed, "All she was concerned about was if she had hurt me. She was actually worried that she had inadvertently done so. But she was relieved when I showed her that I was fine."

Mungo smirked and patted his best friend on the back, saying "I'll b'et she was re'lieved. Tugge'r may be the mos't popul'ar tom in the tr'ibe, but we wouldn't w'ant the sec'ond most popul'ar one to be out of the g'ame with an inju'ry."

Alonzo chuckled, and then he said as the two of them continued to search "Yeah, about that… Mungo, I'm thinking of giving it up."

"Giving wh'at up?" Mungo asked.

"The flirting," answered Alonzo, "I'm giving it up."

"Rea'lly?" said Mungo, "Wh'at made ya dec'ide on th'at?"

"I've decided that Cassandra is the right queen for me," Alonzo told his best friend, "She herself flirts a lot as well, but I could tell that she was ready to give the flirting up as well. Also, she's smart, she's cunning, she's kind, she's mysterious – as you know, I love a little mystery – and she is VERY sexy."

"I wou'd agree with ya," said Mungo, "But if I did, you wou'd pro'bably knock meh on MY ass."

Alonzo smirked and said "Don't worry about that, Mungo. I know that you're not attracted to Cassandra."

"I do ackn'owledge eve'rythin' you s'ay a'bout her," said Mungo, "But you're cor'rect, I am not inter'ested in 'er the way you a're. So, you're ser'ious about ending the flirtin'?"

"Yep," said Alonzo as they continued searching, "Performing the mating dance tonight with Cassie made me realize just how much I love her. It did the same for her. We both decided to gradually end the flirting. I'd say that so far tonight, I'm making substantial progress. Ever since the mating dance, the only queen I've nuzzled against is Victoria. I nuzzled with her just before Old Deuteronomy gave us that philosophical lesson, but that was just to congratulate her on her full performance of the dance and how she and Quaxo had reconciled with each other."

"W'ell, I shou'd pro'bably let ya know somethin'," said Mungo, "During t'he beginnin' of Skimble's song, I s'aw Cassie dancing with Tugg'er."

"Just Tugger?" asked Alonzo, "If Tugger was the only one dancing with her, that's alright. But if you saw Cass dancing with anyone else, I would like to know."

"He w'as the on'ly one," said Mungo as they looked through a few ideal hiding places, "But gettin' b'ack to wh'at you were saying befo're, wh'at do you plan to do afte' ton'ight?"

"Well, once the ball's over, I plan for the two of us to get much closer than before," Alonzo explained, "We've already been sharing a den, but now we'll be acting more like MATES and less like roommates. We plan to settle down and even raise a family in time."

Mungojerrie smiled and said "Th'at's nice; the two of you are plannin' on havin' some kits?"

"Yeah," Alonzo admitted, "The idea of having kittens sounds very nice to both her and me. I would like to know what it is like to be a father someday."

"I th'ink you'd be a good fathe'," said Mungo, "But I can't h'elp but wonde' wh'at you'r kittens would l'ook like. I m'ean, a white an' black blo'tched tom and an Abys'sin'ian queen? Th'at would be one inte'resting h'ybrid."

"Oh, I've heard of stranger couples," said Alonzo. Looking over his shoulder he asked "So, what about you?"

"Wh'at do ya mean?" asked Mungo.

"Do you and Rumple plan to have kittens any time soon?" Alonzo clarified.

Mungojerrie paused for a moment. Neither he nor Rumpleteazer had even considered the idea of having kittens yet. However, it was not too difficult to grasp that concept.

"W'ell, I gu'ess I could t'alk to Rumple about it late' tonight," said Mungo, "H'aving k'ittens seems ve'ry app'ealing to meh. I'm su're she would f'eel the same w'ay."

"I think Rumpleteazer would make a wonderful mother," Alonzo told Mungojerrie in complete honesty, "And you'd make a very great father."

"T'he fe'eling is mu'tual a'bout Cassan'dra and you," Mungojerrie grinned.

"Thanks," said Alonzo.

The two toms continued to search for a few more minutes

… ("Macavity the Mystery Cat")

A few minutes earlier, Demeter and Bombalurina had been standing alone in the clearing. They were drafting out some lyrics for the new song together as quickly as possible. When they were done, Bombalurina asked her sister "Would you like to start us out?"

"I guess so," answered Demeter, "I do have a few choice things to say about Macavity."

"Alright," said Bombalurina.

Music started playing in the background for the two of them. The Mystical Divinity had prepared for a situation like this, obviously. Otherwise there would have been no music.

Bombalurina went to the pile of crates and climbed to the top of the tire as Demeter moved around the clearing. Bomby made sure that the clearing was secured and that she and Dem were not in any immediate danger.

When she confirmed that they were safe, she made a gesture to Demeter to start singing.

Demeter began:

"Macavity's a Mystery Cat; he's called 'The Hidden Paw' –

For he's a master criminal who can defy the law.

He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard; the Flying Squad's despair.

For when they reach the scene of crime – _Macavity's not there_."

Demeter started dancing around the clearing. Some of the dance movements she executed were somewhat sensual. This was because she remembered the occasion when Macavity attempted to rape her. As she danced, the other queens in the tribe started looking out from their hiding spots. Rumpleteazer was rather interested in what Demeter had to say – er, sing – about Macavity.

Demeter continued singing:

"Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity.

He's broken every human law. He breaks the law of gravity."

"Th'at's def'initely tr'ue," Rumpleteazer whispered to Electra, "Remembe' th'at time he flew r'ight ove'r t'he junky'ard?"

"Yeah, that was very unpleasant," Electra recalled.

"Shhh!" said Victoria. Electra and Rumpleteazer quieted down as Demeter counted to sing:

"His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare

And when you reach the scene of crime, _Macavity's not there!_"

Rumpleteazer and Electra quickly backed away as the latter's mother rushed right in front of them. As they moved, Electra asked "What's a fakir?"

Rumple just shrugged.

Demeter sang on:

"You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the aaaaaaaaaaaair…

But I tell you once and once again – _Macavity's NOT THERE!_"

Bombalurina got up and climbed down from the tire. As she did, she started to dance. She sang:

"Macavity's a ginger cat. He's very tall and thin.

You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in."

As she sang, Bombalurina remembered her last encounter with Macavity. That had been on the occasion when he had emotionally hurt her. Reminiscing on that event incited Bombalurina to carry out a few somewhat provocative dance movements. She sang:

"His brow is deeply lined with thought; his head is highly domed.

His coat is dusty from neglect; his whiskers are uncombed.

He sways his head from side to side with movements like a snake.

And when you think he's half asleep, he's always… WIDE AWAKE!"

Rumple and Electra quickly covered their ears before Bombalurina shouted those last two words.

"Jeez, Bomba," muttered Rumple under her breath so that only Electra could hear her, "I've alr'eady h'ad my ea'rdrums broken once ton'ight by Munkustrap. I don't need 'em bro'ken again."

"I'll say," Electra agreed, "I think my ears are still trying to recover from when my Dad shouted 'NO' during the 'Awefull Battle.'"

Bombalurina continued dancing seductively as she sang:

"Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,

For he's a fiend in feline shape; a monster of depravity.

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square –

But when a crime's discovered then – _Macavity's not there_."

Demeter rose to her feet and sang:

"He's outwardly respectable…"

"I doubt that," Electra whispered to Rumpleteazer.

Bombalurina walked over to her sister and sang "I know… he cheats… at cards."

"Umm… 'Ch'eats at c'ards?'" said Rumple. "Is th'at re'ally the wo'rst they cou'ld th'ink of?"

"I can think of several things worse," said Electra.

Demeter looked at Bombalurina, and then she sang:

"And his footprints are not found in any files of Scotland Yard's."

The rest of the younger queens started spreading out around the clearing as the two sisters continued to sing.

Bombalurina: "And when the larder's looted…"

Demeter: "Or the jewel-case is rifled…"

Bombalurina: "Or when the milk is missing…"

Demeter: "Or another Peke's been STIFLED,"

"Ag'ain with t'he screamin'," mumbled Rumpleteazer. She then moved to the edge of the clearing and kept her attention on the song.

Bombalurina: "Or the greenhouse glass is broken,"

Demeter: "And the trellis past repair –"

Both: "There's the wonder of the thing – _Macavity's not there!_"

All the other queens present in the clearing started emulating Demeter and Bombalurina's dancing as they rose to their hind feet.

As Rumpleteazer, Electra, Tantomile, Cassandra, Victoria, Jemima, and Etcetera danced behind Demeter and Bombalurina, Dem and Bomba sang on:

"Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,

There never was a cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.

He always has an alibi and one or two to spare.

Whatever time the deed took place – Macavity wasn't there.

And they say that all the cats whose wicked deeds are widely known…"

Demeter and Bombalurina stood back-to-back.

Demeter: "I might mention Mungojerrie…"

"Hey!" Rumpleteazer yelled, outraged, "Don't you go bad-talkin' my m'ate!"

Her shouting was drowned out by the music and Bombalurina's next line:

"I might mention Griddlebone."

"Ok'ay," said Rumple to herself, "I don't c'are about 'er at all."

Demeter and Bombalurina sang on as the other queens danced in sync with them:

"Are nothing more than agents for the cat who all the time

Just controls the operations: the Napolean of Crime!"

The dancing and the music started to intensify. When the music reached its pinnacle, all nine of the queens sang together:

"Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity.

He's a fiend in feline shape; a monster of depravity.

You may met him in a by-street; you may see him in the square,

But when a crime's discovered then… Macavity…

Macavity…

Macavity…

Macavity…"

Several more dance moves were executed, and then the queens sang:

"When a crime's discovered then,"

Demeter and Bombalurina went to the front of the clearing and sang: "_Macavity's not there_."

Then the song was concluded right then and there.

Conveniently, that was right when Munkustrap and the rest of the toms (minus Rum Tum Tugger and Quaxo) returned to the clearing.

Munkustrap ran over to Demeter and Bombalurina to make sure they were safe.

"Are you alright?" he asked them.

"We're fine," said Demeter.

"Where's Tugger?" queried Bombalurina.

"He's with Quaxo," Munkustrap enlightened her, "He told me that he has a plan to rescue Old Deuteronomy in the event that Macavity does not hold up his part of the bargain."

"He'd better," said Demeter angrily, "Otherwise I would have danced like a complete pervert for nothing."

"I think you're actually a talented dancer, Dem," said Bombalurina, "I think you're as good as I am. And you're almost as sensual."

"'Sensual?'" said Munkustrap.

"You don't want to know," said Demeter.

"Right," said Munkustrap. He turned to the others and told them "Keep your eyes open! Macavity may come here at any time!"

Munk looked around for Mungojerrie, and when he spotted him, said "Mungo, you know how Macavity functions better than the rest of us. Do you have any idea as to what will happen next?"

"Oh, Mac'avity will ret'urn, Munk," Mungo guaranteed his friend, "But we shou'd still be cau'tious. I've known h'im to vio'late agr'eements at the l'ast moment."

Everyone kept their eyes opened. Finally, Macavity returned.

He appeared at the top of the platform above the left of the TSE-1 and gave his evil cackle.

Munkustrap stood in front of Demeter and Bombalurina and shouted at his brother in anger.

Just then, Macavity appeared at the makeshift door next to the tire. Everyone turned to him and eyed him closely. The Jellicles were about to close in on him, but then he pointed at something.

The Jellicles all turned around and – to their vast relief – they saw Old Deuteronomy being escorted back to the clearing by the same three henchcats.

Macavity and the henchcats left, and Old Deuteronomy started walking very slowly back into the clearing. Etcetera, Pouncival, Jemima, and Electra quickly went to him. Both Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie went to him as well. Mungo was rather surprised by the circumstances; Macavity had traded so much for so little. Normally it was the other way around for him. However, he needed to make sure that Old Deuteronomy was alright.

Demeter also seemed convinced that something was wrong there. A look of mixed uneasiness was spreading across her face. Bombalurina noticed her sister was uncomfortable and went over to her to see what the problem was.

Cassandra struck one of her poses to express her relief of Old Deuteronomy's safety. Alonzo climbed off the TSE-1 to get a little closer to the Jellicle Leader. Tantomile moved off to the side. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum went to Old Deuteronomy and they each held one of his front paws in theirs.

However, Old Deuteronomy remained totally silent, and he did not so much as look up at Jenny or Jelly.

Just a few feet away, Demeter was freaking out. She rushed forward and forced Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Tantomile, Jemima, Electra, Etcetera, and Pouncival to move away from Old Deuteronomy. Then she snarled at him.

"Wh'at the h'ell is she doin'?" Mungo whispered to Rumple.

"I gu'ess somethin' is re'ally both'ering 'er," said Rumple.

Demeter moved to the other side of the clearing and had everyone else move further away from Old Deuteronomy. Then, she moved in.

Demeter jumped on top of Old Deuteronomy. He spun around a few times to try to shake her off, but she managed to cling onto him. Everyone could see then that Old Deuteronomy's fur was rather loose. Demeter grabbed his coat by the shoulders, and pulled hard. Quickly, Old Deuteronomy's coat fell off completely and –

"Macavity!" everyone shouted in unison (and in terror).

Sure enough, the ginger cat himself was standing right there in front of them. The lights all turned back on as Macavity turned to face the Jellicles.

Munkustrap had Demeter hide behind him. Bombalurina stood near them and watched they all watched Macavity closely.

Macavity then did the most unexpected thing. He started… DANCING. Everyone just looked at him, bewildered by his actions. Jennyanydots got a little closer, and Macavity scratched her in the face.

"You bast'ard!" shouted Rumpleteazer, "How da're you do th'at to my Mom!"

She wanted to run up to Macavity and attack him, but Mungojerrie held her back. "Don't! It's t'oo dang'erous!"

Macavity slid forward on his hind legs, swiping at both Etcetera and Electra. The two young queens moved away from the ginger cat as he continued dancing.

Macavity's plan was to throw everyone into confusion. Once then, he would be able to carry out his plan uninterrupted.

When everyone was profoundly confused, Macavity turned around and spotted Demeter. He ran towards her, but Munkustrap stood in the way. Macavity pushed his brother to the side and grabbed Demeter by her front legs. He started half-carrying, half-dragging her away.

Munkustrap managed to get up and stop Macavity before he got far. He grabbed Demeter by her hind legs and held on tightly to her. But it would take more than just that to prevent Macavity from kidnapping Demeter.

"Oh, no," said Rumpleteazer as she watched the terrible events unfold.

As the two struggled, Alonzo came over, got under Demeter, held onto her by her sides, and freed her from his father's cruel clutches.

"Go, Alonzo, go!" Mungojerrie cheered on his best friend.

Macavity followed his son, determined to get Demeter back, but Munkustrap stood in the way.

The two of them then faced each other off. Macavity slapped Munkustrap across the face. Munk slapped back.

The two of them took a few steps away from each other, and then they circled around the clearing. They approached each other again and each threw a few fierce blows towards the other's head. Macavity then jumped onto Munkustrap's back. Munk spun around a few times and threw Mac off. Macavity landed near the front of the clearing. Munkustrap dove over him and faced him on the ground. Both of them struck the ground a few times and rose to their feet.

"C'ome on, Munk," said Mungojerrie, "K'ick h'is ass!"

Munkustrap ran towards Macavity, but Mac was much stronger than his older brother. He lifted Munk into the air and threw him towards the front of the clearing. Munkustrap landed flat on the ground. Macavity ran towards him, but Munkustrap maneuvered under his legs.

As Munkustrap got back onto his feet, Macavity started using his powers of hypnosis again. For a few moments, Munkustrap was mesmerized by the Mystery Cat's spell.

"F'ight it, Munk!" shouted Rumpleteazer, "Don't let h'im control ya!"

Munkustrap quickly resisted the spell and faced Macavity once again in the center of the clearing. The two of them leaned over each other and delivered a multitude of fierce blows onto each other.

Suddenly, Macavity picked up Munkustrap and flipped him over his shoulder.

Munkustrap rolled all the way to the right side of the clearing and laid there. Electra, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and Tantomile quickly went over to Munk to see if he was alright. Electra leaned down and licked her father's face to comfort him. Rumple asked him "Munk, a're you alr'ight?"

Mungojerrie glared in anger at Macavity. Tantomile was concerned about Munkustrap, but her facial features remained incredulous.

At that same time, Alonzo crept up behind Macavity and struck him on the back of the head. Macavity toppled over and landed on the ground. As Macavity got back to his feet, Alonzo prepared to attack again. He ran towards his father, but Macavity grabbed him by the chest and forced him around his back. Macavity held onto his son, spun around a few times, and dropped Alonzo onto the ground.

Mungojerrie then saw an opportunity to attack. He stepped over Munkustrap, ran over to Macavity, and struck him once. Macavity attacked back. But things were looking very dismal for him. All the other Jellicles – even Jennyanydots and Jellylorum – were closing in on him. Finally, tired, vulnerable, and outnumbered, Macavity decided to retreat. But first he needed a distraction.

Macavity ran to the top of the TSE-1 and grabbed two electrical cables. He held them high over himself and then – ZAP!

The lights all went off again. This time, it was pitch-black in the Jellicle Junkyard.

Quickly, Pouncival went to get the light from Skimbleshanks' song. He returned to the center of the clearing, activated the light, and shined it around the clearing.

Everyone repeated as one "_Macavity's not there_."

Pouncival shined the light to the front of the junkyard. There everyone was presented with a most adorable sight. Munkustrap and Demeter were nuzzling with each other.

Mungojerrie held Rumpleteazer close to him and said to her" Isn't th'at jus' beaufiul?"

Rumple nodded at him in honesty.

Even though the Jellicles had won the fight and almost everyone was uninjured, they were all deeply troubled. They repeated as one: "We have to find Old Deuteronomy."


	24. The Jellicle Ball Part 5

… (Magical Mr. Mistoffelees)

Just at that moment, someone said from the top of the platform next to the TSE-1:

"You ought to ask Magical Mr. Mistoffelees…"

Pouncival turned the light towards the direction of the voice. All the Jellicles turned, and they saw Rum Tum Tugger lying near the top of the platform. He told them:

"The original Conjuring Cat…

There can be no doubt about that."

Several of the other Jellicles rolled their eyes. Their first impression was that this was one of Tugger's attempts to crack humor when it was needed the least. Pouncival was about to move the beam of light away, but Tugger sat up, raised his paw, and said:

"Please, listen to me, and don't scoff. All his

Inventions are off his own bat."

Tugger jumped a little down the junk pile. Suddenly, music started playing in the background. Tugger went on:

"There's no such cat in the metropolis;

He holds all the patent monopolies

For performing surprising illusions,

And creating… eccentric confusions."

He looked down at everyone and then he began to sing:

"The greatest magicians have something to learn

From Mr. Mistoffelees' Conjuring Turn."

From the trunk of the TSE-1, Tugger kneeled down and sang:

"And we all say:

Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Rumpleteazer was greatly interested in what Tugger had to say. She let her tongue hang from her mouth and she panted a few times. Then she quickly brought her tongue back into her mouth.

As Tugger slid off the TSE-1 to join the others in the clearing, he continued sing:

"He's quiet, he's small, he is black

From his ears to the tip of his tail."

Bombalurina, Demeter, and Munkustrap started vocalizing in the background, and Etcetera danced next to Tugger as he went on:

"He can creep through the tiniest crack;

He can walk on the narrowest rail."

The other Jellicles watched Tugger in interest. Mungojerrie leaned over to Rumpleteazer and told her "Th'is shou'd be good. I gu'ess we'll get to see Tugg'er's big plan on res'cuing Old Deuter'onomy."

Rumpleteazer nodded. She and Mungo watched as Tugger danced as he sang:

"He can pick any card from a pack;

He is equally cunning with dice.

He's always deceiving you into believing

That he's only hunting for mice."

"Wh'at would deceivin' peo'ple like th'at accomplish?" Mungo whispered to Rumple.

"Don't kn'ow," she answered, "I gu'ess h'e h'as his own rea'sons."

Etcetera was still dancing next to Tugger. The way she danced made her look even more adorable than usually.

Tugger sang on:

"He can play any trick with a cork,

Or a spoon and a bit of fish-paste.

If you look for a knife or a fork,

You would think that it's merely misplaced."

The music slowed down a little as Tugger continued:

"You've seen it one moment, and then… IT IS GAAAAWN!

But you'll find it next week, laying out on the laaaawn!"

Tugger then pointed upwards. Everyone looked up, and they saw something descending quickly. It was sparkling brightly, and spinning around.

Quickly, everyone moved away from the center of the clearing. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer moved off to the right side as the object got closer. Soon, they and everyone else saw who it was. It was Quaxo; he was holding onto a rope that did not appear to be tied to anything. There was another thing that caught Mungojerrie's attention; Quaxo's tail had gotten shorter, and his coat was sparkling. It was sparkling the same way it had been on the day Quaxo had healed Mungojerrie's wounds when he first joined the Jellicle Tribe.

As Quaxo made his descent, Tugger continued singing:

"And we all say:

Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Mistoffelees reached the ground, and yanked on the rope. It went shooting up into the air and disappeared into thin air. Misto then turned around and said "Presto!"

Immediately, all the lights were restored and glowed radiantly.

The other cats were relieved that one of their two biggest problems had been resolved. Mistoffelees fired a lightning bolt out of his paw as the other Jellicles joined Tugger in the singing:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

As they sang, Mistoffelees shot another lightning bolt at the front of the clearing.

Then he and Tugger started dancing as everyone repeated:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Mistoffelees fired several more lightning bolts all over the clearing, but he made sure to look and aim before he fired, lest he accidentally hit someone.

Tugger resumed singing solo:

"His manner is vague and aloof.

You would think there was nobody shyer."

Munkustrap, Demeter, and Bombalurina started vocalizing again as Tugger continued:

"But his voice has been heard from the roof

When he was curled up by the fire.

And he sometimes been heard by the fire

When he was about on the roof."

Tugger danced in sync with Misto as the former sang:

"(At least we all heard that somebody purred)

Which is incontestable proof

Of his singular magical powers.

I've known the family to call

Him in from the garden for hours

While he was asleep in the hall.

And not long ago this PHENOMENAL cat…

Produced seven kittens right out of a haaaaaat!"

Mistoffelees was standing near the front of the clearing at that moment. Someone (It looked like Bustohper Jones from Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's perspective) tossed him a yellow coffee mug. He caught it in his front paws. Then he waved his paw over it as Tugger sang:

"And we all say…"

Mistoffelees pulled a very long multicolored ribbon out of the mug. Then he ran around the clearing with it in the air. He ended up giving the mug to Jemima. The whole time, everyone sang:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Everyone remained quiet as Mistoffelees started dancing. He moved to the left side of the clearing and shot another bolt of lightning out of his paws. However, when this bolt lifted after a split-second, Victoria appeared out of nowhere in its remains!

"H'ow the h'ell did th'at h'appen?" Mungo whispered to Rumple. Both of them had been sitting on the opposite end of the clearing.

"I h'ave no idea," said Rumple, "But th'is looks re'ally inter'estin'. Let's jus' w'atch."

Mistoffelees continued dancing in circles around the clearing. Then he went to the front of the clearing and stood perfectly still on his hind feet. Then he spun around clockwise, bringing his lower right leg into the air so that it was perpendicular with the rest of his body. He spun around in that position again… and again… and again… until he had spun around twenty-five consecutive times on one foot!

"W'ow…" Mungojerrie could only stare in amazement, "Now TH'AT is impreh'esive."

"H'e almos' m'akes th'at triple ca'rtwheel thing of ours look easy," said Rumple. Then she repeated "Almos'."

After he had turned around twenty-five times on one foot, Mistoffelees just kept dancing. When he was finished, Tugger shouted "Magical!"

Mistoffelees then ran over to the TSE-1 and pulled a large red tarp out of a hole in the trunk. As he did this, Tugger sang:

"And not long ago this phenomenal cat

Produced seven kittens right out of a hat!"

Mistoffelees went to the center of the clearing. It appeared that he was about to perform a trick. Several of the other cats volunteered to be his assistant. In the end, he chose Cassandra.

_Let's hope Alonzo's alright with this_, thought Mungojerrie humorously.

Mistoffelees and Cassandra moved over to the back left part of the clearing. There, the latter of them slid under the tarp. Mistoffelees moved it over to the center of the clearing. There, he blew on his paws once, rubbed them together, and zapped the tarp with a gentle bolt of lightning.

The mass under the tarp suddenly got BIGGER. Mistoffelees pulled it off – and there was Old Deuteronomy!

Tugger grinned and sang gently:

"And we all say…"

He went over to his father, held his paws in his, and continued as he gestured over to Mistoffelees:

"Oh, well, I never.

Was there ever…

A cat so clever…

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

The music returned to its full pitch. Mistoffelees had had his back turned to Old Deuteronomy and Rum Tum Tugger, but he turned around and jumped into Old Deuteronomy's arms. Old Deuteronomy smiled and embraced the magical cat. As Misto licked Old D's face, everyone else sang as one:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Old Deuteronomy placed Mistoffelees back on his hind legs, and everyone except Tugger linked their front paws and walked in circles towards the two as they sang:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Tugger started shouted random things like "Magical!" and "Mystical!"

Mistoffelees went over to the front side of the clearing. Cassandra reentered from there. She and Misto started dancing. Misto bowed while Cassie struck one of her poses. As they danced together, everyone repeated:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Misto and Cass bowed before Old Deuteronomy, and then Misto started dancing all by himself, doing splits in the air at the front of the junkyard. As everyone sang one last time:

"Oh, well, I never!

Was there ever

A cat so clever

As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Misto then ran to the tire at the back of the clearing. Once he was on top, Tugger sang:

"I give you… the magical… the marvelous… Mr. Mistoffelees!"

Mistoffelees then did the most complicated splits imaginable for a cat, and his disappeared in a puff of smoke.

… ("Memory")

A few moments later, Quaxo returned to the junkyard, but he was still in Mistoffelees mode. Old Deuteronomy was totally unharmed. Evidently, Macavity had ensured that his henchcats took good care of his father.

Old Deuteronomy started moving to the right side of the clearing. Most of the other Jellicles focused their attention on him.

Mungo leaned next to Rumple and said "I gu'ess th'is is it?"

"You m'ean the Jeh'licle Choice?" she assumed.

"Yes, is it t'ime?" asked Mungo.

"It s'eems so," Rumple nodded.

They looked over to Old Deuteronomy.

Very gentle music was playing in the background. Suddenly, a familiar angelic voice penetrated the quiet atmosphere. It sang:

"Daylight…

See the dew on the sunflower…"

The voice was coming from around the TSE-1. Everyone turned in that direction. There, Jemima was standing on her hind legs on the front of the car. She sang in her lovely voice:

"And the rose that is fading.

Roses wither away.

Like the sunflower,

I yearn to turn my face to the dawn.

I am waiting… for the daaaay."

The music remained playing as Munkustrap got everyone's attention. He held out his paw to his father's for a brief moment. Then, as Old Deuteronomy went over to the right side of the clearing, Munkustrap half-sang, half-said:

"Now, Old Deuteronomy just before dawn

Through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife

Announces the cat who can now be reborn

And come back to a different Jellicle life."

As he sang this, the other Jellicles started walking towards Old Deuteronomy on all fours. They all held out one of their front legs to the Jellicle Leader and waited for his him to decide.

"It will prob'ably be Gus," Rumple told Mungo, "H'e h'as lived a gr'eat life, and I th'ink he des'erves it t'he most."

Mungo smiled at Rumple and said "I don't c'are who it is. As l'ong as it's not you, it do'es not matte' all th'at much to meh."

Rumple smiled back at her mate and said "I f'eel the sa'me way about you."

Everyone continued to wait as the Jellicle Leader meditated on the Jellicle Choice.

All of a sudden, Mistoffelees stood up on his hind legs and looked over his shoulder. The other Jellicles did the same. Grizabella had returned again that night.

Most of the cats grimaced at her. Neither Mungojerrie nor Rumpleteazer did, however. Both of them were determined to help Grizabella this time.

They watched as Rum Tum Tugger went up to his mother and mockingly showed her the direction of Old Deuteronomy. Mistoffelees went to sit on top of the tire. Etcetera, Electra, Cassandra, and Bombalurina walked right past her without giving her a second thought. Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks glared hostilely at her before they went to sit with the others. Alonzo and Exotica went to join the others. Plato and Admetus went under the platform next to the TSE-1. Pouncival and Tumblebrutus went over to the left side of the clearing. Coricopat and Tantomile went to the trunk of the TSE-1, and Demeter stood at the base of it with her back turned to Grizabella. Victoria tried to approach Grizabella, but Jellylorum stopped her and led her back over to the right side of the clearing. Asparagus, Old Deuteronomy, and Munkustrap were still there.

Mungojerrie was really getting angry at how everyone was behaving. He turned to Rumpleteazer and said "I've h'ad it. I'm goin' to h'elp Grizabella whethe' anyone else h'ere likes it or not."

"Meh, too," Rumple agreed. The two of them were about to go over to Grizabella, but they were stopped by Munkustrap, Asparagus, and Jellylorum.

"Don't even think about it," said Munkustrap sternly.

"Wh'at is wr'ong with you?" said Mungojerrie.

"Just go sit on the other end of the clearing," Munkustrap ordered them solemnly, "Do not help her. She does not deserve our help."

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer wanted very much to aid Grizabella, but under the circumstances, they couldn't. Both of them ran past her. As they did, their eyes met Grizabella's eyes. Both of them had the words "I'm sorry" spelled out in their eyes.

Mungo and Rumple went over to the oven. Everyone else had their backs turned to Grizabella, so they did the same thing.

"I c'an't beli'eve I'm doing th'is," said Mungo.

"Neithe' can I," said Rumple, "I f'eel terr'ible fo'r doing th'is."

The two of them turned silent as the music in the background quickly changed pitch and started playing more gently.

Just then, someone started singing:

"Memory…

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you.

Open up; enter in.

If you find there the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life… will begin."

Both Mungo and Rumple could tell that the voice belonged to Grizabella. Despite her less than appealing outward appearance, she had one of the best singing voices they had ever heard.

"Wh'at's she doing?" asked Rumple.

"I don't kn'ow," said Mungo, "But… I th'ink she's asking fo'r fo'giveness for 'er past actions."

Mungo and Rumple looked over their shoulders. Grizabella was standing alone on her hind legs in the center of the clearing, and she was determined to be heard by the other Jellicles.

Slowly, Mungo and Rumple turned completely around towards Grizabella and listened to her sing.

Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap were the only other ones that did not have their backs turned to Grizabella. Despite how angry he had been towards his mother, Munk found himself taking pity on her already.

Grizabella turned to the left side of the junkyard and sang on:

"Memory…

All alone in the moonlight.

I can smile at the old days;

I was beautiful then.

I remember the time I knew what happiness was.

Let the memory live again."

It was not hard for Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to imagine a young and beautiful Grizabella. Her beauty and figure was well-known throughout the Jellicle Tribe, and both of them could see further past her physical appearance than what was in front of them.

Pouncival, Etcetera, Electra, and Tumblebrutus slowly turned around. On the other end of the junkyard, Plato, Admetus, and Exotica gradually did the same thing. All of them had heard Grizabella's pleas, and they had already forgiven her for whatever she had done in the past.

Grizabella sang on:

"Burnt out ends of smoky days;

The stale cold smell of morning.

The street light dies, another night is over.

Another day is dawning."

During that verse, Alonzo, Jennyanydots, Skimbleshanks, Cassandra, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Demeter all turned around to look at Grizabella. All of them had decided to answer to her pleas for forgiveness.

_Come on, Griz, you can do it_ thought Mungo, _Almost everyone here has forgiven you._

Grizabella continued to sing:

"Daylight…

I must wait for the sunrise…

I must think of the new life…

And I mustn't give in.

When the dawn comes,

Tonight will be a memory, too,

And a new day will begin."

During that verse, Rum Tum Tugger, Victoria, Bombalurina, Mistoffelees, Asparagus, and Jellylorum had all turned to Grizabella. At that point, every single cat in the junkyard had turned to her.

Despite the fact that everyone forgave her, Grizabella suddenly lost her self-confidence. As the music intensified, she collapsed onto her stomach and laid still.

Several of the Jellicles were seriously concerned for her. Mungo held out his paw, and Rumple put her front paws over her mouth in surprise. Mungo noticed a tear fall from his mate's eye.

_Don't give up now, Grizabella; _he thought worriedly. _You're almost there._

Suddenly, Jemima sang from the platform behind the TSE-1 in her heavenly voice:

"Sunlight through the trees in summer;

Endless masquerading…"

Grizabella slowly sat up and looked to the front of the clearing. She sang with Jemima:

"Like a flower, as the dawn is breaking…"

Grizabella sang solo:

"The memory is fading…"

She rose to her feet as the music reached its climax. Then Grizabella sang:

"Touch me…

It's so easy to leave me

All alone with the memory

Of my days in the sun.

If you touch me,

You'll understand what happiness is.

Look; a new day has begun."

Everyone looked off to the side. Sure enough, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon.

Music continued to play in the background.

All Mungojerrie could wonder was "What now?"

He got his answer when Victoria stood up. She slowly started to approach Grizabella. Just before she did, she looked back at Old Deuteronomy. He gave her an approving nod, beckoning her to go forward.

Victoria stood right behind Grizabella and gently placed her paw in the elderly queen's.

A smile slowly came onto Grizabella's face.

… ("Journey to the Heaviside Lair")

All over the clearing, the other cats were getting off the platform and approaching Grizabella to comfort her as Victoria did.

Victoria turned Grizabella around. Both Mistoffelees and Alonzo took her paws in theirs for a moment. The younger cats and the kittens did this as well. Next, all of the older members of the tribe wanted an opportunity to comfort Grizabella. Skimbleshanks went first; Jennyanydots followed soon after. Jellylorum and Asparagus comforted her next. Demeter and Bombalurina smiled at her when she reached them. Finally, she reached Munkustrap; her eldest son. He smiled at his mother and led her over to Old Deuteronomy.

Old Deuteronomy held his former mate's paw in his own and bowed to her.

Mungojerrie whispered to Rumpleteazer "It looks l'ike we've got ou'r cho'ice for the Heav'iside Lair."

Rumpleteazer nodded.

As everyone followed Old Deuteronomy and Grizabella, the Jellicles sang:

"Up, up, up, past the Russel hotel.

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair.

Up, up, up, past the Russel hotel.

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair."

It was then that Grizabella realized that Old Deuteronomy had chosen her for the "Jellicle Choice." She was rather surprised. She had only returned to the tribe to ask for acceptance and forgiveness; she had not intended to be given entry into the Heaviside Lair!

Munkustrap encouraged her forward. As Old Deuteronomy led Grizabella to the tire, the other cats sang together:

"Up, up, up, past the Russel hotel!

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair!

Up, up, up, past the Russel hotel!

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair!"

Old Deuteronomy and Grizabella reached the tire and stood straight up on top of it. It started rising into the air as the other cats sang:

"Up, up, up, past the Jellicle moon!

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair!"

All the other cats were on the ground in the clearing. All except Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger, that is. Munkustrap was standing on top of the pipe and Tugger was standing on top of the TSE-1.

To Mungojerrie's profound amazement, the tire starting rising into the air. As it rose, the Jellicles sang:

"Up, up, up, past the Jellicle moon!

Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Lair!"

Everyone then started doing a series of hand movements as the Great Staircase descended from the clouds. Once it reached the tire, Grizabella stepped on. She looked back one last time, but Old Deuteronomy beckoned her onward. She smiled at the Jellicles, and began her ascent. The Jellicles all sang as one:

"The Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity.

Round the cathedral rang 'Vivat!'

Life to the Everlasting Cat!"

Soon, Grizabella reached the top of the staircase, and the staircase rose back into the clouds. Old Deuteronomy's tire returned to its original position, and all the Jellicles spread out in the clearing to listen to the Jellicle Leader begin the final song.

… ("The Ad-dressing of Cats")

Old Deuteronomy turned to the Tribe, and smiled down at them. Then he began to sing:

"You've heard of several kinds of cat,

And my opinion now is that

You should need no interpreter

To understand our character."

_I know I don't need any interpreter _thought Mungojerrie.

Old Deuteronomy continued:

"You've learned enough to take the view

That cats are very much like you."

_Now that just makes me feel grand_ thought Mungo.

Old Deuteronomy sang:

"You've seen us both at work and games,

And learnt about our proper names,

Our habits, and our habitat.

But how would you ad-dress a cat?"

_An excellent question for humans. _Mungo thought.

Old Deuteronomy looked around, and then sang:

"So, first, your memory I'll jog…

And say a cat is not a dog."

The other Jellicles turned to the front of the clearing and repeated that verse:

"So, first, your memory I'll jog…

And say a cat is not a dog."

_I never would have guessed. _Mungojerrie thought sarcastically. _Oh, wait a minute. He's emphasizing that cats are much more honorable than dogs. Silly me; how could I not realize that?_

But he and the other Jellicles just listened as Old Deuteronomy went on:

"Now dogs pretend they like to fight.

They often bark; they seldom bite.

But yet, a dog is on the whole

What you would call a simple soul.

The usual dog about the town

Is much inclined to play the clown."

_Dogs can be dumber than sheep at times. _Mungo thought.

Old Deuteronomy sang:

"And, far from showing too much pride,

Is frequently undignified.

He's such an easygoing lout,

He'll answer any hail or shout."

Old Deuteronomy paused for a moment, and then continued:

"The usual dog about the town…

Is much inclined to play the clown.

Again, I must remind you that

A dog's a dog; a cat's a cat."

Everyone repeated those same verses:

"The usual dog about the town

Is much inclined to play the clown.

Again, I must remind you that

A dog's a dog; a cat's a cat."

_Whoever needed help distinguishing them must have failed at nomenclatures. _Mungo thought.

As the Jellicles did some pantomime, Old Deuteronomy began the final verse:

"With cats, some say one rule is true:

'Don't speak 'til you are spoken to.'"

_I really hate that rule. _Mungo thought.

Old Deuteronomy sang:

"Myself, I do not hold with that.

I say you should ad-dress a cat.

But always bear in mind that he

Resents familiarity.

You bow, and taking off your hat,

Ad-dress him in this form: 'O Cat!'"

_Quite an interesting method of ad-dressing a cat_. Mungo thought.

Old Deuteronomy went on:

"Before a cat will condescend

To treat you as a trusted friend,

Some little token of esteem

Is needed, like a dish of cream.

And you might now and then supply

Some caviar, or Strassburg pie,

Some potted grouse, or salmon paste –

He's sure to have his personal taste."

_Say, that reminds me, isn't it almost time for breakfast? _Mungo wondered.

Old Deuteronomy:

"And so in time you reach your aim,

And call him by his name."

_I still wonder how Old Deuteronomy expects humans to hear this, _Mungo pondered on this subject. _Perhaps the Mystical Divinity has something to do with it. Oh, well, looks like Old D's about to wrap this thing up!_

The Jellicles then sang:

"A cat's entitled to expect

These evidences of respect.

So, this is this, and that is that,

And there's how you ad-dress a cat."

Old Deuteronomy joined in:

"A cat's entitled to expect

These evidences of respect."

Everyone mustered their full singing potential, and sang as loudly and clearly as they could:

"So, this is this, and that is thaaaaaaaaat…

And there's how you ad-dress a caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

Note: Just one more chapter to go! I plan to have the last chapter up long before the day is out!


	25. Reflection

Seven months later…

A young kitten was walking down the sidewalk on a street in London. His coat was composed of tiger stripes all around, and in most aspects he was a normal kitten for his age. His name was Harothenes.

Harothenes continued walking on all fours until he reached a food stand. He went up to the person at the counter and nuzzled against her legs.

The person looked down in surprise initially, but when she discovered that a kitten was at her foot, she just smiled down at him.

"Hi, there," she kneeled down and stroked him behind his ears, "Aren't you just adorable?"

_Why, thank you._ Harothenes thought.

Harothenes just purred in affection as the woman patted him on his head. She talked to him, saying things like "I have a cat like you. Though, I must say; you seem a little young to be out on the streets on your own."

_Whoever said I was alone? _Harothenes thought to himself.

Little did she know that right behind her, Harothenes's younger sister Noremeda and his younger brother Sornetem were creeping up to the pretzel cage.

Noremeda and Sornetem had the same tiger-striped pattern on their coats, and they were approximately the same size Harothenes was.

Harothenes signaled "Go!" to his siblings through a gesture with his eyes, and they quickly went to the cage. Sornetem carefully picked the lock with his claws and opened it up quietly. Then Noremeda gracefully removed two salted pretzels and one cinnamon pretzel without making any noise.

Once that was accomplished, Sornetem closed the pretzel cage, and he and Noremeda casually left the stand unnoticed.

Their job accomplished, Harothenes nuzzled against the stand owner's feet one more time and sauntered away from the stand. "Have a nice day!" she called to him, waving good-bye.

Harothenes walked around the corner. There, he rendezvoused with his siblings.

"Gr'eat wo'rk, guys," he congratulated his siblings.

"A lot of t'he cre'dit shou'd go to you, Haro," Sornetem pointed out, "You w'ere able to k'eep th'at woman occupied the whole t'ime."

"Oh, th'at was si'mple," Harothenes scoffed. He gestured towards their sister and said, "You shou'd give mo're cre'dit to Nora. She p'ulled off the swipin' part so well."

"Th'anks, Haro," Noremeda smiled at her brother, "But th'at would not 'ave been possible h'ad if not been for Sorn and h'is ability to p'ick locks."

"You all d'id ve'ry well," came a fourth voice.

Sornetem, Noremeda, and Harothenes turned around. There, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were standing right before them.

"Th'at was ve'ry good fo'r you'r fi'rst heist," Mungojerrie smiled at the three tiger-striped kittens.

"Do ya th'ink so, Dad?" asked Harothenes.

"I kn'ow so, Haro," Mungojerrie smiled at his eldest kitten, "Now, h'ow a'bout we eat?"

"An excell'ent id'ea," Sornetem nodded.

Noremeda gave one of the salted pretzels to Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. The two of them broke it up evenly. Noremeda broke the other pretzel up into three equal portions. She gave one portion to each of her brothers, and kept the third one for herself. Rumpleteazer took the cinnamon pretzel and divide it into five equal portions, and distributed them equally. However, Harothenes' portion of the cinnamon pretzel was just a little smaller, as he much preferred the salted pretzel and he had been known to react a little strangely when he ingested too much cinnamon.

"Oh, Mom, I m'anaged to get some of th'at must'ard that you like," Sornetem handed two small packs of plain mustard to Rumpleteazer.

"Th'ank you, Sorn," Rumple thanked her son. Sornetem just smiled at her brightly. Rumple opened one of the packs up and spread the yellow condiment onto the salted pretzel. Then she started eating.

Noremeda watched for a moment, and then she said "Th'at actually looks pr'etty good, Mom. I don't supp'ose you'd mind if I tr'ied a little must'ard, do ya?"

"H'elp you'rself, Nora," Rumpleteazer handed her daughter another of the mustard packs.

Following their sister's example, Sornetem and Harothenes decided to give the mustard a little try as well.

Harothenes ended up getting mustard all over his cheek as he ate. When Rumpleteazer noticed this, she just scoffed and said lightheartedly "Haro, you c'an be such a slob at t'imes. You've got must'ard all ove' you'r cheek. H'ere, let meh get it off."

"Aw, Mom…" Harothenes groaned in embarrassment as Rumpleteazer licked her front paw and started to rub the mustard off of his cheek.

Mungojerrie turned to Sornetem and Noremeda. He asked them "I don't supp'ose eithe' of you m'anaged to swipe a few nap'kins?"

"Here ya go, Dad," Sornetem handed over a few plain white napkins to his father.

"Th'ank you, Sorn," Mungo took the napkins from his younger son and handed them over to his mate. Rumple used them to clear Harothenes' cheek. When she was done, she said "Th'ere we go. Doesn't th'at feel much bette'?"

"Su're," Harothenes answered nonchalantly.

Once they were finished eating, the five calico cats started making their way back to the Jellicle Junkyard.

On the way, Mungojerrie leaned down to Rumpleteazer's ear and whispered "I th'ink we shou'd tell 'em."

Noremeda, who was walking the closest to them, overheard and asked "T'ell us wh'at, Dad?"

Mungo looked at Rumple, as if he was waiting for a sign from her. After she gave him a nod, he looked over at the kittens and told them "You'r mothe' and I h'ave been plannin' th'is all week. Beca'use of h'ow w'ell you accomplished you'r first heist, we w'ant to tr'eat you. So, ton'ight, we're going on the N'ight Mail with Grandpa Skimble!"

The three kittens were absolutely thrilled to hear this bit of news. They LOVED travelling on a train, especially one where their grandfather Skimbleshanks was in charge.

The three kittens hugged their parents and said "Th'ank you!" over and over again.

Mungo and Rumple just held their children close and told them "You ea'rned it."

Soon, the five of them returned to the Jellicle Junkyard.

In the clearing, they saw a young tom and queen playing together by the stove. Those kittens' coats were part black, part white, and part Abyssinian. They were Lomfer and Watlina, the son and daughter of Alonzo and Cassandra.

"H'ey, look!" Harothenes pointed to the stove. "Th'ere's Lomf'er and Wat'lina!"

"Mom, Dad, c'an we go play with 'em?" asked Sornetem.

"Of cou'rse," said Rumpleteazer, "Go r'ight a'head!"

Harothenes and Sornetem were about to go play with their friends, but they noticed that Noremeda was trying to hide behind Mungojerrie.

"Is everythin' alr'ight, sweetie?" Mungo asked his daughter.

"Yeah, Daddy, I'm f'ine," she guaranteed him, "It's jus' th'at… I get a little ne'vous when I'm ar'ound Lomf'er."

"Why's th'at?" inquired Rumpleteazer.

"Bec'ause…" Noremeda began hesitantly, and then she said "Bec'ause… I re'ally like him."

The others chuckled a little. Mungojerrie said "You're ner'vous aroun' Lomf'er because you like h'im?"

"W'ell, I know th'at he likes meh, too," said Noremeda, "But I f'eel rathe' excited aroun' him. I'm not quite su're h'ow to explain my f'eelings."

Mungo and Rumple just looked at each other and smirked. Then they looked down at their daughter. Rumple told her "Nora, I th'ink Lomf'er is you'r fir'st crush."

Noremeda blushed furiously as Harothenes and Sornetem chuckled.

"Imag'ine th'at," said Sornetem, "Ou'r own sisteh, falling fo'r the son of the tr'ibe's ex-flirt."

"Oh, you're one to t'alk, Sorn," said Noremeda, "I've seen t'he way you and Wat'lina look at each othe' wh'en no one else is ar'ound."

This time, Sornetem blushed as well. Harothenes was the only one chuckling this time.

"H'ey, Haro, at least Nora and I h'ave som'one to go afte'," said Sornetem, "I don't see you doin' any searchin' fo'r a poten'tial futu're mate."

"Sorn!" Mungojerrie scolded his younger son.

"No, it's alr'ight, Dad," said Haro, "Sorn does h'ave a point. Howeve', the only rea'son I h'ave not begun sear'ching for a poten'tial futu're mate is bec'ause Lomf'er, Wat'lina, Sorn, Nora, and I are the on'ly memb'ers of the tribe in ou'r gener'ation. I plan to w'ait until there are mo're to st'art searchin'."

"Or, Haro, you cou'ld look fo'r som'one outs'ide of the tr'ibe," Mungojerrie suggested.

"W'ell, I don't kn'ow a'bout th'at, Dad," Haro remarked.

"Wh'at's wrong with th'at prospect, Haro?" Rumpleteazer asked her eldest child, "Jus' look at meh; I chose a per'son b'orn outs'ide the tr'ibe fo'r my m'ate."

"Th'at is true," Harothenes acknowledged, "But I'm st'ill not su're…"

Rumpleteazer smiled down at him and told him (and, indirectly, she was talking to both Sornetem and Noremeda, too) "W'ell, if it h'elps you m'ake you'r decision, th'ink of it this way: Even thou' you'r fath'er was bo'rn outs'ide the tribe, I have neve' regretted t'aking him as my m'ate. Plus, had I not chosen him, you th'ree would neve' have been b'orn."

Harothenes nodded in agreement. Then he said "I'll conside' it. May we go pl'ay now?"

Mungo and Rumple nodded. They watched as Haro, Nora, and Sorn ran over to join Lomfer and Watlina.

As he watched the kittens run to join their friends, Mungojerrie took a moment to reflect on his life.

Just slightly under two years earlier, he had been a stray. He had been fending for himself, struggling on his own to survive. He had not even considered life worth living back then.

But then a few months later, he had meet Macavity. For many weeks they had worked together, spreading terror over many districts in London. Despite the satisfaction he had felt with his life during that time, he always felt that something was missing.

At the end of all those weeks, Mungojerrie had met Rumpleteazer. On the same night he met her, he had turned his back on Macavity's organization and joined the Jellicle Tribe.

Now, in the present day, he had everything he needed. He had a mate who was intelligent, adoring, witty, and beautiful. He loved her with all his heart; she loved him just as much in return.

Mungojerrie was also the father of three happy, active, healthy kittens. He loved all of them as much as he loved Rumpleteazer, and she loved them the same amount. Both of them could tell that their kittens loved them just as much in return, and that they were very proud to have the Notorious Cats as their parents.

Certainly, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had faced their fair share of hardships along the way. For example, in the nine weeks Rumpleteazer had been pregnant with their kittens, Mungojerrie was able to steal several things to aid her in those nine weeks. But despite the fact that he had pulled it off well enough on his own in the old days, stealing was not as easy without Rumpleteazer.

The birthing process was also somewhat traumatic for Rumpleteazer, partly because she had given birth to three kittens. Mungojerrie would have given anything to have been allowed to see her while she gave birth to their litter. But there was a timeless rule that toms could never be present when their mates gave birth.

Fortunately, Rumpleteazer ended up handling the birthing process rather well, and all three of the kittens in that litter had survived birth.

Life had never been better for Mungojerrie.

"Wh'at are ya th'inking about?" Rumpleteazer interrupted her mate's reflection.

Mungojerrie's mind quickly returned to reality, and he focused his attention on his mate. He smiled down at her and said "Oh, I wasn't th'inkin' about anythin'. I was jus' reflectin' on jus't h'ow much my life h'as changed since you and I fir'st met."

Rumpleteazer smiled back up at her mate and said "It w'as not exa'ctly love at fir'st s'ight, but it w'as enough to bring a'bout somethin' gr'eat."

Mungojerrie nodded. Then he said "I rem'embe' th'at we both saved each othe' once that day. I s'aved you fr'om Mac's clutches; you saved meh wh'en I was bad'ly wo'unded. But in a w'ay, you saved meh tw'ice th'at day."

"Re'ally?" she said, "How?"

"You saved meh fr'om a dism'al life as a crim'inal and as one of the Jeh'licle Tr'ibe's most-h'ated enemies," he clarified, "I gu'ess I owe ya mo're than I thought."

Rumpleteazer continued to smile at her mate. Then she said "W'ell, you cou'ld re'pay meh by comin' with meh to ou'r den and havin' some 'fun' wh'ile the kids are playing."

Mungojerrie also remained smiling and said "I'll glad'ly acc'ept you'r pro'position."

The two of them embraced each other and kissed fervently.

As they made their way over to their den, Mungojerrie looked over at their kittens. They were playing a game of mouse-mouse-cat (the Jellicle version of duck-duck-goose) with Lomfer and Watlina. Watlina was the mouse at that time, and Sornetem was the cat.

As he and Rumpleteazer stepped inside their den, Mungojerrie thought about his life one more time. All of this had been made possible just because of a few choices he had made.

Note: Well, that's it! I know, the ending was somewhat fluffy, and I don't normally end with fluff, but oh well; whoever said there was anything wrong with fluff? By the way, Lomfer, Watlina, Harothenes, Noremeda, and Sornetem originally appeared in my first CATS fanfic "Magic Meets Love." So, yes, I do own them. "Magic Meets Love" is somewhat a semi-sequel to this story, even though I wrote that one first. By the way, you may have noted that Admetus was not present during the "Rumpus Cat" session. I explain that in my ongoing CATS fanfic "Someone To Watch Over You." Also, I've decided to go back and explain all that stuff about Growltiger's demise and how Mungojerrie tied in with it. All that will be explained in my other ongoing CATS fanfic "The Boatswain," which will also delve deeper into Macavity and Mungojerrie's partnership in the days they worked together. Feel free to check them out, if you're interested!


End file.
